If you’ve shopped at Home Depot recently, keep an eye on your credit card activity, because hackers have begun to rack up fraudulent charges on credit and debit cards stolen during a security breach, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Charlie Hermann, who lives in Hamden, said he’s already noticed suspicious charges on the credit card he uses at Home Depot – and has made several purchases with it over the past few months.
“My credit card company called to inform me they saw a charge that looked suspicious,” Hermann explained. “Obviously, what we always thought was secure isn’t anymore.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, fraudulent transactions are cropping up across the country. Scammers are using stolen credit card numbers to purchase prepaid cards, electronic devices – even groceries.
“It shakes me to my foundation about credit cards,” said David Moran, a customer at the Home Depot store in West Hartford. “It makes me want to go to a cash-only basis.”
Home Depot officials said nearly 56 million cards were affected when hackers used custom-built software to breach the company’s security system between April and September of this year.
The Home Depot Web site advises customers that the company is not liable for any fraudulent charges and offers free credit monitoring for patrons who shopped during the breach.
Customers are encouraged to keep a close watch on their accounts and be on the lookout for strange activity.
