WASHINGTON — A U.S. senator from Connecticut is calling for a Federal Ttrade Commission investigation into the security breach at Target potentially involving millions of customers’ credit and debit cards. Sen. Richard Blumenthal told ABC News it wasn’t just a security breach on Target’s part, it was a breach of trust. “Target’s failure to promptly and completely notify consumers is really adding insult to injury,” he said. Nearly 40 million Target customers, including some in the Ottawa area, have been caught in the massive credit and debit card hack that began on Black Friday, and may have lasted until Dec. 15. Cyber-security expert Fred Krebs said the hacked credit and debit card accounts are flooding underground black markets, going on sale in batches of one million cards. Some banks have put limits on customers’ accounts and are re-issuing new cards. Target told ABC News that it is narrowing in on the cause and said the hacker was able to install malware onto the machines where customers swipe their credit and debit cards. Target offered a ten percent discount this weekend, said it would hold customers harmless and offer free security monitoring but it wasn’t enough to calm several angry customers who filed at least three class-action lawsuits that accuse Target of negligence and failure to protect customer information.
Monday, Dec. 23, 3 p.m.
