Walpole Barnes & Noble Among Stores Affected by Pin Pad Tampering

Barnes & Noble announced today, that they have detected tampering with PIN pad devices used in 63 of its stores, including the location at the Walpole Mall.

The bookseller became aware of the situation September 14 and has discontinued use of all PIN pads in its nearly 700 stores nationwide after reporting the issue to federal law enforcement officials, a release said.

The tampering involved a scheme 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.

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The company is warning customers to be on the look out for identity theft and any abnormalities in their bank accounts. They are also working with banks and credit card companies to identify "potentially impacted accounts."

According to the Huffington Post, Barnes & Noble spokeswoman Mary Ellen Keating said that authorities asked the bookseller to keep quiet about the breach until today “in order not to impede investigation.” She did not comment on how the breach occurred.

The statement said that one PIN pad in each of the affected stores was compromised. However, purchases online and from mobile apps were not affected.

When asked how many people from the Walpole branch may have been affected Barnes & Noble spokeswoman Mary Ellen Keating said, "We have no idea how many customers were affected. I don't have any other details at this point beyond the release as there is an FBI investigation underway."

Customers with questions can call 1-888-471-7809, between the hours of 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.