You may remember the massive data breach TJX, the parent company of the popular magazine retail TJ Maxx, Bob Stores, HomeGoods, Marshalls, and AJ Wright last year that exposed thousands of consumers to potential identity theft. The extent of the breach is still unknown, but new information comes to light which suggests that TJX may have known about the risk of identity theft several months before the notification of the government and consumers.
The company officially released information about the data breach at their stores in mid November 2006. However, a lawyer involved in the case of recently foolish statements in legal proceedings that may TJX -being known about the violation from October 3, 2006- two months earlier.
It is unclear whether or not the claim that TJX breach knew almost two months before the information was communicated to the public is accurate or not, but it certainly emphasizes the importance of being proactive consumers with protection against identity theft.
As always, we strongly suggest that consumers arm themselves with a protection service against identity theft such as LifeLock, Identity Guard or TrustedID. Read our in-depth identity theft prevention service reviews and comparisons for more.