The “sophisticated criminal effort” captured consumers’ credit and debit card numbers after conspirators planted bugs in PIN pads at 63 Barnes & Noble stores, the company says this morning. The scheme didn’t affect Barnes & Noble’s Nook tablets or mobile apps, the chain’s member database, or any Barnes & Noble College Bookstores. B&N says it caught the problem in mid-September, and that it’s safe now to use credit and debit cards at its stores. It pulled all of the PIN pads in nearly 700 outlets. Still, the company urges consumers at the stores that were hit — listed in the press release below — to change their PIN numbers and check their accounts to be sure that they don’ t include phony transactions.
Here’s the release:
October 24, 2012; New York – Barnes & Noble has detected tampering with PIN pad devices used in 63 of its stores. Upon detecting evidence of tampering, which was limited to one compromised PIN pad in each of the affected stores, Barnes & Noble discontinued use of all PIN pads in its nearly 700 stores nationwide. The company also notified federal law enforcement authorities, and has been supporting a federal government investigation into the matter.
Barnes & Noble has completed an internal investigation that involved the inspection and validation of every PIN pad in every store. The tampering, which affected fewer than 1% of PIN pads in Barnes & Noble stores, was a sophisticated criminal effort to steal credit card information, debit card information, and debit card PIN numbers from customers who swiped their cards through PIN pads when they made purchases. This situation involved only purchases in which a customer swiped a credit or debit card in a store using one of the compromised PIN pads.
The company emphasized that its customer database is secure. Purchases on Barnes & Noble.com, NOOK and NOOK mobile apps were not affected. The member database was also not affected. None of the affected PIN pads was discovered at Barnes & Noble College Bookstores.
Barnes & Noble is continuing to assist federal law enforcement authorities in this matter. In addition, the company is working with banks, payment card brands and issuers to identify accounts that may have been compromised, so banks and issuers can employ enhanced fraud security measures on potentially impacted accounts.
The criminals planted bugs in the tampered PIN pad devices, allowing for the capture of credit card and PIN numbers. Barnes & Noble disconnected all PIN pads from its stores nationwide by close of business September 14, and customers can securely shop with credit cards through the company’s cash registers. Barnes & Noble said it is committed to providing customers with a safe shopping environment.
Tampered PIN pads were discovered from stores in the following states: CA, CT, FL, IL, MA, NJ, NY, PA, RI. A complete list of specific stores follows.
Store Address City State Zip 4735 Commons Way Calabasas CA 91302 2470 Tuscany Street Suite 101 Corona CA 92881 2015 Birch Road Suite 700 Chula Vista CA 91915 313 Corte Madera Town Center Corte Madera CA 94925 5604 Bay Street Emeryville CA 94608 810 West Valley Parkway Escondido CA 92025 1315 E. Gladstone Street Glendora CA 91740 5183 Montclair Plaza Lane Montclair CA 91763 894 Marsh St Bldg G San Luis Obispo CA 93401 2615 Vista Way Oceanside CA 92054 72-840 Highway 111 Suite 425 Palm Desert CA 92260 27460 West Lugonia Ave Redlands CA 92374 1150 El Camino Real Space 277 San Bruno CA 94066 10775 Westview Parkway San Diego CA 92126 3600 Stevens Creek Blvd San Jose CA 95117 11 West Hillsdale Blvd. San Mateo CA 94403 9938 Mission Gorge Road Santee CA 92071 40570 Winchester Rd Temecula CA 92591 4820 Telephone Road Ventura CA 93003 1149 S. Main St. Walnut Creek CA 94596 470 Universal Drive North North Haven CT 06473 100 Greyrock Place Suite H009 Stamford CT 06901 60 Isham Road W. Hartford CT 06107 18711 NE Biscayne Blvd Aventura FL 33180 333 N. Congress Avenue Boynton Beach FL 33436 152 Miracle Mile Coral Gables FL 33134 1900 W International Spdway Daytona Beach FL 32114 2051 N. Federal Highway Fort Lauderdale FL 33305 12405 N Kendall Drive Miami FL 33186 11380 Legacy Ave Palm Beach Gardens FL 33410 14572 SW 5th St Suite 10140 Pembroke Pines FL 33027 11820 Pines Blvd Pembroke Pines FL 33026 5701 Sunset Drive Suite 196 S. Miami FL 33143 700 Rosemary Ave Unit #104 West Palm Beach FL 33401 1441 West Webster Avenue Chicago IL 60614 1130 North State Street Chicago IL 60610 5380 Route 14 Crystal Lake IL 60014 20600 North Rand Road Deer Park IL 60010 728 North Waukegan Road Deerfield IL 60015 1630 Sherman Avenue Evanston IL 60201 1468 Springhill Mall Blvd W. Dundee IL 60118 170 Boylston Street Chestnut Hill MA 02467 96 Derby Street Suite 300 Hingham MA 02043 82 Providence Highway East Walpole MA 02032 395 Route 3 East Clifton NJ 07014 55 Parsonage Road Edison NJ 08837 2134 State Highway 35 Holmdel NJ 07733 4831 US Hwy 9 Howell NJ 07731 23-80 Bell Blvd. Bayside NY 11360 176-60 Union Turnpike Fresh Meadows NY 11366 1542 Northern Blvd Manhasset NY 11030 160 E 54th Street (Citicorp) New York NY 10022 2289 Broadway New York NY 10024 33 East 17th Street (Union Square) New York NY 10003 555 Fifth Ave New York NY 10017 2245 Richmond Avenue Staten Island NY 10314 230 Main St White Plains NY 10601 97 Warren Street New York NY 10007 100 West Bridge Street Homestead PA 15120 800 Settlers Ridge Center Drive Pittsburgh PA 15205 1311 West Main Road Middleton RI 02842 371 Putnam Pike Suite 330 Smithfield RI 02917 1350-B Bald Hill Rd Warwick RI 02886 Debit Card Users:As a precaution, customers and employees who have swiped their cards at any of the Barnes & Noble stores with affected PIN pads should take the following steps:
Change the PIN numbers on their debit cards
Review their accounts for unauthorized transactions
Notify their banks immediately if they discover any unauthorized purchases or withdrawals
Credit Card Users:Review their statements for any unauthorized transactions
Notify their card-issuing banks if they discover any unauthorized purchases or cash advances
For additional information and updates, visit the Barnes & Noble website at http://www.barnesandnobleinc.com. Customers may also call 1-888-471-7809, between the hours of 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, with questions.
