Over 60 Barnes & Noble locations victims of PIN pad tampering, customer data at risk

Book retailer Barnes & Noble this morning revealed that 63 of its stores have been victims of PIN pad tampering, following an internal investigation of "every PIN pad in every store" (just under 700 locations). B&N calls the tampering, "a sophisticated criminal effort to steal credit card information, debit card information, and debit card PIN numbers," and warns customers who may have swiped their cards at affected locations to alter debit card PINs as a precaution, as well as to keep an eye on credit card statements for false charges.

B&N specifically note that its company database hasn't been breached, and purchases made through the B&N website, its Nook e-reader, and the Nook mobile apps are unaffected. According to the company, the PIN pads were implanted with "bugs" that allowed the recording of credit card numbers and PINs. To be extra safe, B&N disconnected all of its PIN pads on September 14 and is only allowing credit card purchases directly through cash registers. For a full list of affected stores, head past the break.

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Barnes & Noble Detects Tampering With PIN Pad Devices at Stores

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Barnes & Noble (BKS) has detected tampering with PIN pad devices used in 63 of its stores. Upon detecting evidence of tampering, which was limited to one compromised PIN pad in each of the affected stores, Barnes & Noble discontinued use of all PIN pads in its nearly 700 stores nationwide. The company also notified federal law enforcement authorities, and has been supporting a federal government investigation into the matter.

Barnes & Noble has completed an internal investigation that involved the inspection and validation of every PIN pad in every store. The tampering, which affected fewer than 1% of PIN pads in Barnes & Noble stores, was a sophisticated criminal effort to steal credit card information, debit card information, and debit card PIN numbers from customers who swiped their cards through PIN pads when they made purchases. This situation involved only purchases in which a customer swiped a credit or debit card in a store using one of the compromised PIN pads.

The company emphasized that its customer database is secure. Purchases on Barnes & Noble.com, NOOK and NOOK mobile apps were not affected. The member database was also not affected. None of the affected PIN pads was discovered at Barnes & Noble College Bookstores.

Barnes & Noble is continuing to assist federal law enforcement authorities in this matter. In addition, the company is working with banks, payment card brands and issuers to identify accounts that may have been compromised, so banks and issuers can employ enhanced fraud security measures on potentially impacted accounts.

The criminals planted bugs in the tampered PIN pad devices, allowing for the capture of credit card and PIN numbers. Barnes & Noble disconnected all PIN pads from its stores nationwide by close of business September 14, and customers can securely shop with credit cards through the company's cash registers. Barnes & Noble said it is committed to providing customers with a safe shopping environment.

Tampered PIN pads were discovered from stores in the following states: CA, CT, FL, NJ, NY, IL, MA, PA, RI. A complete list of specific stores follows.

Store Address City State Zip
4735 Commons Way Calabasas CA 91302
2470 Tuscany Street Suite 101 Corona CA 92881
2015 Birch Road Suite 700 Chula Vista CA 91915
313 Corte Madera Town Center Corte Madera CA 94925
5604 Bay Street Emeryville CA 94608
810 West Valley Parkway Escondido CA 92025
1315 E. Gladstone Street Glendora CA 91740
5183 Montclair Plaza Lane Montclair CA 91763
894 Marsh St Bldg G San Luis Obispo CA 93401
2615 Vista Way Oceanside CA 92054
72-840 Highway 111 Suite 425 Palm Desert CA 92260
27460 West Lugonia Ave Redlands CA 92374
1150 El Camino Real Space 277 San Bruno CA 94066
10775 Westview Parkway San Diego CA 92126
3600 Stevens Creek Blvd San Jose CA 95117
11 West Hillsdale Blvd. San Mateo CA 94403
9938 Mission Gorge Road Santee CA 92071
40570 Winchester Rd Temecula CA 92591
4820 Telephone Road Ventura CA 93003
1149 S. Main St. Walnut Creek CA 94596
470 Universal Drive North North Haven CT 06473
100 Greyrock Place Suite H009 Stamford CT 06901
60 Isham Road W. Hartford CT 06107
18711 NE Biscayne Blvd Aventura FL 33180
333 N. Congress Avenue Boynton Beach FL 33436
152 Miracle Mile Coral Gables FL 33134
1900 W International Spdway Daytona Beach FL 32114
2051 N. Federal Highway Fort Lauderdale FL 33305
12405 N Kendall Drive Miami FL 33186
11380 Legacy Ave Palm Beach Gardens FL 33410
14572 SW 5th St Suite 10140 Pembroke Pines FL 33027
11820 Pines Blvd Pembroke Pines FL 33026
5701 Sunset Drive Suite 196 S. Miami FL 33143
700 Rosemary Ave Unit #104 West Palm Beach FL 33401
1441 West Webster Avenue Chicago IL 60614
1130 North State Street Chicago IL 60610
5380 Route 14 Crystal Lake IL 60014
20600 North Rand Road Deer Park IL 60010
728 North Waukegan Road Deerfield IL 60015
1630 Sherman Avenue Evanston IL 60201
1468 Springhill Mall Blvd W. Dundee IL 60118
170 Boylston Street Chestnut Hill MA 02467
96 Derby Street Suite 300 Hingham MA 02043
82 Providence Highway East Walpole MA 2032
395 Route 3 East Clifton NJ 07014
55 Parsonage Road Edison NJ 08837
2134 State Highway 35 Holmdel NJ 07733
4831 US Hwy 9 Howell NJ 07731
23-80 Bell Blvd. Bayside NY 11360
176-60 Union Turnpike Fresh Meadows NY 11366
1542 Northern Blvd Manhasset NY 11030
160 E 54th Street (Citicorp) New York NY 10022
2289 Broadway New York NY 10024
33 East 17th Street (Union Square) New York NY 10003
555 Fifth Ave New York NY 10017
2245 Richmond Avenue Staten Island NY 10314
230 Main St White Plains NY 10601
97 Warren Street New York NY 10007
100 West Bridge Street Homestead PA 15120
800 Settlers Ridge Center Drive Pittsburgh PA 15205
1311 West Main Road Middleton RI 02842
371 Putnam Pike Suite 330 Smithfield RI 02917
1350-B Bald Hill Rd Warwick RI 02886

As a precaution, customers and employees who have swiped their cards at any of the Barnes & Noble stores with affected PIN pads should take the following steps:

Debit Card Users:

Change the PIN numbers on their debit cards
Review their accounts for unauthorized transactions
Notify their banks immediately if they discover any unauthorized purchases or withdrawals
Credit Card Users:

Review their statements for any unauthorized transactions
Notify their card-issuing banks if they discover any unauthorized purchases or cash advances
For additional information and updates, visit the Barnes & Noble website at www.barnesandnobleinc.com. Customers may also call 1-888-471-7809, between the hours 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, with questions.