If you've shopped @ a TJMAXX owned store since 2003 your credit/debit data has been stolen

[xultar]

If you've retured any items @ a TJMAXX owned store since 2003 and given them your drivers license number...your drivers license information has been stolen.

No question...anyone who has shopped @ a TJMAXX owned store from 1/1/2003 to mid December 2006....and paid with a credit and/or debit card your data has been stolen.

TJMAXX branded stores are TJMAXX, Marshalls, HomeGoods, TKMAXX, Bob's Stores, AJ Wright, HomeSense and ...this also includes Canada, UK and Ireland.


Here is their info...

RECOMMENDED STEPS FOR CREDIT AND DEBIT CARD CUSTOMERS IN THE UNITED STATES:

We encourage credit and debit card customers in the U.S. to take the following steps:

* Carefully review your statements from American Express, Discover, MasterCard and VISA for unauthorized transactions. If you detect any unauthorized or suspicious use of your card, contact your credit card issuer or bank immediately.


* Obtain a free credit report from each of the three credit bureaus at www.annualcreditreport.com. You are entitled to one free annual report from each credit bureau. Carefully review your report for indications of fraud.

CONTACTING YOUR CREDIT CARD ISSUER OR BANK

We suggest you carefully review your credit and debit card statements. If your review indicates unauthorized activity, you should immediately contact your credit card company or bank to inform them.

ORDERING YOUR FREE CREDIT REPORT

You are entitled under U.S. law to one free credit report annually from each of the three national credit bureaus

How to obtain your report:

To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com, call toll-free at 877-322-8228, or complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s website at www.ftc.gov and mail it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

Do not contact the three credit bureaus individually. They provide free annual credit reports only through the website or toll-free number.

What to look for:

You should notify the credit bureaus of any inaccuracies in your report, whether due to error or fraud, as soon as possible so the information can be investigated and, if found to be in error, corrected. If there are accounts or charges you did not authorize, immediately notify the appropriate credit bureau by telephone and in writing.

If you find items you don’t understand on your report, call the credit bureaus at the number given on the report. Credit bureau staff will review your report with you. If the information can’t be explained, then you will need to call the creditors involved.

RECOMMENDED STEPS FOR CUSTOMERS IN THE U.S. WHOSE DRIVER’S LICENSE INFORMATION HAS BEEN COMPROMISED:

* Follow the recommendations of the Federal Trade Commission, which are available at www.ftc.gov.
* Place a fraud alert on your credit file by contacting one of the three major credit bureaus. Their contact information is provided below under "Placing a Fraud Alert on Your File".
* Obtain a credit report from each of the three credit bureaus at www.annualcreditreport.com. You are entitled to one free annual report from each credit bureau.

PLACING A FRAUD ALERT ON YOUR CREDIT FILE

If your driver’s license information was compromised, you may want to consider placing a fraud alert on your credit file.

What is a fraud alert?

A fraud alert helps protect you against the possibility of an identity thief opening new credit accounts in your name. When a merchant checks the credit history of someone applying for credit, the merchant gets a notice that there may be fraud on the account. This alerts the merchant to take steps to verify the identity of the applicant.

How to place a fraud alert on your credit file: You can place a fraud alert on your credit file at each of the three major credit bureaus by contacting any one of the toll-free fraud numbers below. You will reach an automated telephone system that allows you to flag your file with a fraud alert at all three bureaus.

The contact information for the credit bureaus is:
Equifax 888-766-0008 www.equifax.com
Experian 888-397-3742 www.experian.com
TransUnion 800-680-7289 www.transunion.com

You will be sent instructions on how to get a copy of your report from each of the credit bureaus. As a possible victim of identity theft, you will not be charged for these copies. Even if you do not initially find any signs of fraud on your reports, we recommend that you review your credit reports carefully every three months for the next year. Just call the numbers above to order your reports and keep the fraud alert in place.

Check for accounts you don’t recognize in your credit report. Look in the “inquiries” section for names of creditors from whom you haven’t requested credit. (Some companies bill under names other than their store names. The credit bureau will be able to tell you when that is the case.) And look in the “personal information” section for inaccurate information (such as your home address and Social Security number). Errors in this information may be a warning sign of possible identity theft.

APPLYING THE FTC’S RECOMMENDATIONS

If you believe your identity has been stolen, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) recommends that you take these additional steps:

* Close the accounts that you have confirmed or believe have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Use the FTC’s ID Theft Affidavit (available at www.consumer.gov/idtheft) when you dispute new unauthorized accounts.
* File a local police report. Obtain a copy of the police report and submit it to your creditors and any others that may require proof of the identity theft crime.
* File your concern with the FTC. The FTC maintains a database of identity theft cases used by law enforcement agencies for their investigations. By filing a concern, it helps the FTC learn more about identity theft and the problems victims are having so FTC representatives can better assist you.

The FTC’s Identity Theft Hotline toll-free number is 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338) or you can visit their website at www.ftc.gov.

CONTACTING THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES

Customers whose driver’s license number may have been compromised should immediately contact your local department of motor vehicles. Ask them to put a fraud alert on your license. This alert will notify staff to any attempts to tamper with your driver’s license.

[CrazyOrangeCat]

1. Thanks, excellent info.

Pretty sure I stopped shopping at Marshalls before 2003 . . . but I'm sure as hell gonna double check.

How is your own personal nightmare going, xultar?

[xultar]

5. It is still an effing mess. Idiots are running the world. How do I know?

Because that's all I've dealt with during this situation.

I called TJMAXX last night and I was amazed that they hired some low rent call centre company to handle calls. None of the people know anything and TJMAXX isn't talkin.

This is a nightmare! Right now I have no money. NONE. ZILCH. They've stolen it all and the bank has put a hold on all of my accounts.

[bananas]

6. Wow - sorry to hear that - when did you find out?

And thanks for telling us about this,
I'm sure it will affect more DUers.

[xultar]

7. On the 1/9/07

[CrazyOrangeCat]

8. Bastards.

What a horrible mess.

[xultar]

10. Everytime I call my bank I get so fed up I want to run screaming and crying.

[CrazyOrangeCat]

15. Keep us updated.

Rootin' for ya.

[Critters2]

23. Wow. That completely sucks. I'm so sorry.

I hope you get someone at TJMaxx to step up, take responsibility, and reslove the situation.

I'll be thinking of you.

[lonestarnot]

25. That is freak'n terrible.

[mmonk]

2. Interesting. I was called by my cardholder institution

telling me another data base had been compromised and I'd be issued another card. I presume this must be it.

[xultar]

4. This thing is huge. They are not saying it in the media. You have to call

to find out how big it is.

[mmonk]

9. Thanks for posting.

[marions ghost]

19. I imagine TJMaxx and friends

has one humongous data base, since half the country shops at those stores. I've been a few times myself in the last 2-3 years and I don't consider myself much of a serious shopper.

Sorry this happened to you xultar. Thanks for posting this info.

[Wilms]

3. The Motley Fool: T.J. Minimum

T.J. Minimum

By Rich Smith

January 19, 2007

T.J. Maxx oughta be ashamed.

As should Marshalls, HomeSense, and every other company operating under the corporate umbrella of TJX (NYSE: TJX). You'd think that by now, nearly four years after the string of hacks, cons, and plain ol' butterfingered fumbling of consumers' private, personally identifiable data began, a company holding more than 40 million customer credit card records (according to The Wall Street Journal) would have a better handle on how to respond to a data breach.

For those who aren't yet up to speed on this latest invasion-of-privacy story (the company only 'fessed up Wednesday night, after all), here's what we know. In mid-December 2006, an unidentified person or persons hacked into a TJX computer network that stores everything from credit and debit card transactions, to customer merchandise returns, to, for some reason, certain customers' driver's-license data.

snip

What TJX did not do, and still has not done, is adhere to the new standard of care in cases like these. Unlike AT&T, TJX did not immediately inform its customers of the danger. Nor did TJX offer, as ChoicePoint, Reed Elsevier, ABN AMRO, and Ameritrade (Nasdaq: AMTD) did when in a similar situation, to pay for a year's worth of credit monitoring to those persons at risk of identity theft. (Why, even the skinflints at Citigroup (NYSE: C) vouched for three months' worth of credit monitoring.)

Instead of doing the stand-up thing -- heck, the standard thing -- TJX merely encouraged its customers to "carefully review their credit card and debit card statements and other account information," and to "notify their credit or debit card company or bank if they suspect fraudulent use."

Message from TJX to its customers? You're on your own.

snip

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2007/01/19/tj-minimum.aspx

[xultar]

11. Kick!

[originalpckelly]

12. Someone should sue these bastards for having such lax security with such important information.

I hope you're able to get every thing fixed xultar. You might look into contacting a lawyer on this matter. This is such a massive breach, and it's already starting to affect people! It's gross negligence on the part of TJMAXX to not secure this data better.

[xultar]

14. I talked with my parents about it. I think we are going to. My mom

has for sure lost her drivers license number...that is huge in my book. I don't know if I have lost my DL or not and I can't get them to tell me either way.

But since I've lost $$$ and I've been seriously messed up for 2 weeks with all my funds blocked. The bank put holds on all my accounts. Oh and to think of all the hours on the phone with the bank, the faxes, the paperwork!!! I think I'm going to sue.

[originalpckelly]

16. I think the fact that they haven't really tried to be forthright...

and basically told everyone affected "aw fuck off", that makes them perfect candidates for suing.

So many people have to hurt by this, it might be time for a class action suit. This is getting to be a really large problem, and these companies are being very irresponsible with the information they gather.

[salin]

20. dang

the only one of those stores i have shopped at in the time frame is AJ Wright - mid-to-late December. Damn. Will go check my records.

THANK YOU for posting this.

I am very, very sorry for how this has screwed your life up. With all the tort reform legislation - does the option for Class Action lawsuit still exist?

[stellanoir]

31. OMG

I'm so sorry to hear this. What a colossal frigging pain in the butt.

Hope it gets straightened out ASAP.

shit.

[Warpy]

13. So far I'm OK

In fact, I barely exist. That's what no debt does.

Thanks for posting the info.

[fujiyama]

17. Kick!

My wallet was stolen two months ago. I had fraudulent transactions on my card. I had canceled within one day, but some were made.

The people at banks didn't really help much other than simply canceling the credit cards. I will contact the different credit agencies for sure. Thanks for the info.

[Neurotica]

18. Why do they keep such a database?

I'm asking this question seriously. After a transaction has been processed, etc., why do they need to keep your information in their system?

That just invites all kinds of potential problems in my opinion.

Do other retailers operate the same way? Is your credit card number permanently in their system if you use a credit/debit card ever?

[xultar]

35. Zactly!

[KoKo]

21. Beware those who shop at "Coldwater Creek, Chico's and Kohls"

They ask you to give them everything about you on CHECK OUT...and if they can't get it on the First Go they Harrass You to Get It!

Other disasters waiting to happen with agressive Marketing Techniques are out there.

[TroubleMan]

22. Barely any news on this at all:

http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/17/news/companies/tjx.reut/index.htm

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0119ON-tjmaxx-ON.html

Now I wonder how many TJ Maxx and Marshalls commercials were airing around that time. I've seen companies buy enough commercials to shut up the news before. I don't watch any of the major stations (at least in the last 5 or so years) except for sports, so I wouldn't know.

[womanofthehills]

24. I just got a letter from my credit union

They are issuing me a new card and they also have the info on their web page. I usually don't shop at TJMAX but, wouldn't you know as soon as I start shopping there this happens.

[Swamp Rat]

26. Please define "mid December 2006"

I made my first TJ Maxx credit card purchase on the 18th of December.

[xultar]

37. I'd be concerned. They won't release the actual date. They just say mid

December.

[newsdude]

27. Why the fuck is it my responsibility to do all this crap???

They fucked up.
it ain't me signing my name to fraudulent accounts

How in the fucking world did we get suckered into becoming the fall guy when crooks steal information from corporations?
In my opinion, the retailers and the credit card companies need to work it out themselves ... fuckers

[xultar]

34. Zactly!

[Danascot]

28. For most credit cards

you can look at your account activity online and see if there are any suspicious charges. Most charges show up in 24 hours.

It's a bother but if you're worried, it's worth checking ... I just did ... nothing I didn't put there myself.

[xultar]

36. Actually they can get approvlas and wait to post to your account later

Fraud charges started on my account on 1/3 - but weren't posted until th 8th ot 9th....even clear upto the 12th.

[MadHound]

29. Another in a long line of examples of why I don't and won't have plastic

This sort of occurence is becoming an all too regular. Sure, plastic is easy and convient, until you have to go through all of the hassle of getting your ID stolen.

Switch to cash, you don't leave a track of what you've bought and an easy access to your accounts. You also don't have to worry about when and if you are going to have such data stolen.

[lildreamer316]

30. So far I'm fine...

..and I don't remember entirely but I think I paid cash every time. I just checked my bank accts.; but I'm gonna call them in the morning to make sure they are aware. Thanks so much for the info.

[npincus]

32. first I've heard of this... where did you find this out?

Did the store contact you?


I have shopped there since 2003.

[xultar]

33. First I had money stolen...then I heard this it on the news 1/15/07.

[npincus]

38. f*ck.

sorry that happened to you. I didn't hear a damned thing on the news- figures.

[Irreverend IX]

39. MarMaxx (the company that runs TJ Maxx and those other stores)

Is one of the most FUBARed organizations I've ever had the misfortune of dealing with. Corruption, incompetence and outright theft are rampant from the high school kids who work the stock room to the corporate executives. I won't tell you how I know this, but every part of their sales and data management systems is badly broken. Their sales policies are poorly thought out to the point that none of the employees follow them and many stores operate at a loss for years while corporate props them up. Buy from them at your own peril.