Hackers Hit Local Barnes & Noble

Representatives of a popular bookstore chain say it took a "sophisticated criminal effort" for hackers to steal debit card information from its payment system.

Several Illinois Barnes & Noble Inc. stores were targeted, including one in the Gold Coast, five in the Chicago suburbs and one right here in Lincoln Park, 1441 W. Webster Ave., according to a news release from the company.

The alert was issued Oct. 24 after Barnes & Noble detected tampering with PIN pad devices in 63 of its stores in the country, many of which are located in California, Florida and New York.

The tampering was limited to one compromised PIN pad in each store and affected fewer than 1 percent of the company's total pads, the report says.

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"The tampering … 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," the release says. "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 criminals planted bugs in the tampered PIN pad devices, allowing for the capture of credit card and PIN numbers, officials said. Stores disconnected the devices in all 700 of its stores Sept. 14, allowing customers to securely shop with credit cards through the company's cash registers.

Representatives emphasize that its customer database is secure. No purchases on Barnes & Noble.com, NOOK and NOOK mobile apps, nor the company's customer database were affected. 

"Barnes & Noble is continuing to assist federal law enforcement authorities in this matter," the release says. "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."

See the full list of compromised PIN pads on the Barnes & Noble website.

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 more information and updates, visit the Barnes & Noble website. Customers may also call 1-888-471-7809, between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., with questions.