OCP Executive Director Bruce Kim urges Hawaii residents to take precautions if they believe they may be affected by a recent data breach involving retailer Neiman Marcus.



Businesses are required by Hawaii law to notify customers of any security breach involving personal information following discovery of the breach. Hawaii law also requires businesses to notify the OCP about the breach without unreasonable delay as well as information on the timing, distribution and content of the notices sent by the business to potentially affected consumers.



Neiman Marcus recently disclosed that computer hackers illegally obtained credit and debit card information from purchases made at company stores between July 16, 2013, and Oct. 30, 2013. This breach may have affected up to 1.1 million transactions nationwide.



"This is another serious security breach, which may affect a significant number of people,"Kim said. "Hawaii consumers who believe they may be at risk are urged to take immediate steps to protect their personal credit information as well unauthorized access to their credit or debit card accounts. We urge affected consumers to use the contact information provided by Neiman Marcus to find out how to protect themselves."



The breach occurred in its point-of-sale system when the payment cards were swiped. The potentially compromised personal information included name and other Track One payment card data. At this time, Neiman Marcus says it did not include other personal information such as Social Security numbers or dates of birth. Neiman Marcus does not use PIN pads in their stores. The company believes online purchases were not affected.



Neiman Marcus advises shoppers to check their payment card statements for any suspicious transactions, and to call their card issuer to report it, if needed. If shoppers notice any suspicious activity on their Neiman Marcus or Bergdorf Goodman cards, they are advised to contact their local store or call the Neiman Marcus credit division at 1.800.685.6695.



Neiman Marcus has arranged to provide free credit monitoring services to any shopper who used a payment card at a Neiman Marcus store or shopped online between January 2013 and January 2014. Sign up instructions for this free service is available at www.neimanmarcus.com/infosecurity. The deadline to sign up for this free service is June 15, 2014.



If you believe you that you have been a victim of identity theft, the following information may be of help you:



Identity Theft Warning Signs