PulseTV, a popular online store in the United States, has revealed a credit card data breach that has affected over 200,000 customers.
VISA notified the company on March 8, 2021, that their website (www.pulsetv.com) was a common point of purchase for some fraudulent credit card transactions owing to a probable compromise, according to the notice letter issued by the Office of the Maine Attorney General.
The corporation conducted some security tests on its website but found no evidence of a breach.
VISA alerted the company again in July, but law enforcement only contacted it a few months later about more payment card hacks that seemed to have emanated from its website. The corporation engaged a legal counsel who hired cybersecurity experts to help them.
The investigators learned on November 18, 2021, that the website had been identified as a common point of purchase for several fraudulent MasterCard credit card transactions.
The data breach notification letter stated, “On November 18, 2021, our investigator learned that the website had been identified as a common point of purchase for a number of unauthorized credit card transactions for MasterCard. Based upon communications with the card brands, it is believed that only customers who purchased products on the website with a credit card between November 1, 2019, and August 31, 2021, may have been affected. The investigation was unable to verify that the website was the cause of the unauthorized transactions.”
“However, in an abundance of caution, PulseTV is notifying customers, including you, who purchased products on our website during that time period so that they can take steps to protect and secure their credit card information.”
Only clients who purchased products on the website using a credit card between November 1, 2019, and August 31, 2021, according to PulseTV, were affected. The information that may have been compromised includes:
- Full name
- Shipping address
- Email address
- Payment card number
- Payment card expiration date
- Payment card security code (CVV)
Customers may be vulnerable to a variety of scams, including fraudulent card-not-present transactions. To avoid similar accidents in the future, the company will take the following steps: adding two-factor authentication to all internal devices, implementing end-point detection and response technologies to improve network visibility and threat prevention, and switching to a new payment system.
The company is still working with payment card networks and law enforcement to investigate the security compromise, and it has notified state regulators and affected customers.
The letter concluded, “We recommend that you remain vigilant for incidents of fraud and identity theft by regularly reviewing your account statements and monitoring free credit reports for any unauthorized activity. Information on additional ways to protect your information, including how to obtain a free credit report and a free security freeze, can be found at the end of this letter.”
“You should report any incidents of suspected identity theft to your local law enforcement and state Attorney General. If you believe your payment card information may have been compromised, we strongly encourage you to contact your payment card company and/or financial institution and request that the card be cancelled.”
