Retailer Bebe Hit With Data Breach

Women’s clothing chain “bebe” became the latest retailer to announce a credit card hack, revealing on Friday that criminals stole account numbers from consumers who shopped at the chain’s retail store locations during November.

The hack was first reported by independent security journalist Brian Krebs.

In a post on its website, bebe said hackers stole data from shoppers at its physical locations, but believe the damage was limited to “a short window” between Nov. 8 and Nov. 26. Criminals may have stolen credit card account numbers, names, expiration dates and verification codes.

The firm has about 200 retail locations. Shoppers at bebe.com, or at the chain’s retails shops in Canada, were not impacted, the firm said.

“Our relationship with our customers is of the highest importance,” said Jim Wiggett, Chief Executive Officer, bebe. “We moved quickly to block this attack and have taken steps to further enhance our security measures.”

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We’re just one year out from the massive Target credit card database theft, and there is no sign that card hacks are slowing down. Earlier this year, the Secret Service issued a bulletin warning that a computer virus designed to steal data had infected point-of-sale terminals at roughly 1,000 different U.S. stores. Ever since, there’s been a continuous trickle of hack revelations.

For customers who made a purchase using a payment card at a U.S., Puerto Rico or U.S. Virgin Islands store during November, bebe is offering credit monitoring services for one year at no cost. Consumers wishing to redeem the offer should call 888-236-0447, Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PST.

Consumers should also review their credit card and bank statements for unauthorized transactions, and report any such activity to the banks as soon as possible to resolve the issue and prevent further charges. Unchecked, fraudulent charges to your debit cards could drain your bank accounts or, on credit cards, run up your balance. So the sooner you discover and resolve the problem, the better.

If you regularly check your credit scores (which you can do for free on Credit.com) and you notice a large, unexpected change in your scores, that could be a sign your identity or financial accounts have been misused, and is a sign that you should check your credit reports as well as your financial statements for any problems.