DataBreach

It's easier than ever for con artists to swipe your sensitive financial information -- and then use it to decide if you're a good target for a scam. But the war isn't lost: Consider these easy strategies to protect yourself.

On Tuesday morning, my wife and I discovered our Chase Bank account had been hacked. By that afternoon, I realized we were part of something much bigger. But even a data breach that affected up to 1.5 million accounts is only the tip of the bank fraud iceberg.

Customers who hand over credit cards to bartenders and wait staff deserve better protection than they got from a large restaurant chain, say state attorneys who recently won a six-figure settlement for a restaurant group's data-security failures. The Briar Group, in Boston, agreed to pay...

Massachusetts-based TJX Cos. reached an agreement with 41 states attorneys general over data breaches that could have released as many as 100 million credit and debit card numbers collecting from customers.Using stolen card numbers allows thieves to steal identities and make fraudulent...

The Identity Theft Resource Center has released its 2008 numbers, and they're not pretty. They tracked a total of 656 data breaches in 2008, which is a 47% increase over 2007. What does a data breach mean for consumers? It means that a company holding your private information (typically credit card...

Another retailer announces a major data security breach... Forever21 has announced that nearly 100,000 credit and debit card numbers were illegally accessed by hackers. Customers who shopped at Forever21 on nine specific days in 2004 and 2007 may be victims. I doubt any of you have your receipts...

If you've shopped at Hannaford Bros. grocery stores in the last few months and used a credit card or debit card, your identity and credit could be at risk. The store announced this week that over 4 million credit and debit card numbers have been exposed, and management is aware of 1,800 related...