Data Privacy and Network Security Alert From McDonald Hopkins Law Firm: Massive Data Breach at Credit Card Processing Company-- Millions Potentially Affected

CLEVELAND, April  2, 2012  /PRNewswire/ -- Visa, MasterCard and Discover have notified their issuing banks of a recent security breach at the seventh largest credit card processing company, which could affect up to 10 million cardholders. The breach occurred at Global Payments, Inc., an Atlanta-based company that assists the major credit card companies in processing transactions for merchants. Initial reports indicate that the breach occurred between January 21, 2012 and February 25, 2012, and the intrusion may be connected to Dominican street gangs in and around New York City. When news of the breach broke, Global Payments' stock plunged as much as 14 percent and trading was halted on its stock. Global Payments has said that credit card data may have been stolen, but that cardholder names, addresses and social security numbers were not obtained. Both Visa and MasterCard have indicated that their own systems had not been compromised.

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This latest incident in a flurry of data breaches has heightened concerns about identity theft. Consumers should remain vigilant and take proactive measures to safeguard their personal information. If you suspect that your personal information has been compromised, here are some helpful steps you can take to minimize your damages:

• Place a fraud alert
• Request a security freeze
• Free credit report information  
• Check your credit reports and financial statements regularly
• Notify law enforcement and FTC of suspicious activity

Click below to read the McDonald Hopkins Law Firm Alert: Massive data breach at credit card processing company — Millions potentially affected

http://www.mcdonaldhopkins.com/alerts/alert.aspx?id=TR3HyyCkHEGswZu5NYi1tQ

For more information, please contact:
James J. Giszczak
248.220.1354
[email protected]

Dominic A. Paluzzi
248.220.1356
[email protected]

About McDonald Hopkins

McDonald Hopkins is a business advisory and advocacy law firm with offices in Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Miami, and West Palm Beach. The president of McDonald Hopkins is Carl J. Grassi.  www.mcdonaldhopkins.com.

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link.

James J. Giszczak:  https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=106994

CONTACT:
Deborah W. Kelm
McDonald Hopkins LLC
Phone: 216.348.5733
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE McDonald Hopkins LLC

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