supermarkets Hannaford Bros, a chain that operates hundreds of stores in north US and Florida, announced today that 4.2 million credit and debit card numbers may have been potentially exposed to identity thieves following a massive data breach. 1,800 cases of identity theft related fraud have been reported as a result of the data breach, according to the company.
Although the immediate details are not available, the company said that credit card numbers and debit were stolen during the credit approval process.The Hannaford President and CEO Ronald Hodge said the company strengthened network security measures for the potential threat of criminal activity was identified in late February.
This impacts massive data breach all 165 Hannaford stores in the Northeast, Â 106 Sweetbay stores in Florida and several independent grocers that sell Hannaford products.
Given the magnitude of this violation, we strongly suggest that all consumers who believe that may have been affected should immediately review all credit card transactions and precision rate and consider using a protection against identity theft services.