CHECK OUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HANNAFORD BREACH

UPDATE AS OF 4-23-08

For those members who had cards that were compromised as part of the Hannaford breach, you will be receiving new cards by May 1st.   First, you will receive your new card, then within a few days you will receive your new pin.  Make sure that you destroy your old card(s).  Make the switch as soon as possible and activate your new card.  Any activity to your old card will cease on the date provided with your new card.

SPECIAL NOTE:  Remember if you have automatic deductions from your checking account based on your CU24 Debit Card number, you will need to notify the merchant and provide them with your new card number.  After the shut off date, any transactions that try to post against your account based on the old number will not be honored.

HANNAFORD SECURITY BREACH AFFECTS UP TO 4.2 MILLION DEBIT AND CREDIT CARDS.  CHECK OUT THE DETAILS IN THE BANGOR DAILY NEWS STORY ON MARCH 18TH

DOES THIS INCLUDE MY BREWER FEDERAL CREDIT UNION CU24 DEBIT CARD OR VISA CREDIT CARD?

About 1,800 debit cards and 85 credit cards of our members are included in the cards that were compromised.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN - THAT MY CARD WAS COMPROMISED"?

Through a breach in the Hanna ford security, your card number (and other information) was obtained illegally by unauthorized means.  It does not necessarily mean that there has been any fraudulent activity on your account.

HAS THERE BEEN REPORTED INCIDENTS OF FRAUDULENT ACTIVITY WITH THESE COMPROMISED CARDS?

 Reportedly, out of the 4.2 Million card numbers that were compromised, there have been a very small percentage of actual fraudulent activity - 1,800.  At this point, there has not been any reported fraudulent activity on Brewer Federal Credit Union's member accounts.

WHAT IS THE CREDIT UNION DOING FOR MEMBERS?

• We have received a list of the card numbers that have been compromised from VISA, Inc
• We are in the process of ordering new cards for all of the members who have compromised cards.
• Cards will be reissued within 4 - 6 weeks when members will receive new cards and PINS.  At that time members will be advised as to when their old cards will be blocked.
• IMPORTANT NOTE:  A member may contact the credit union at any time and check to see if their card number was one that was compromised.  If their card is on the list, a member may asked to have their card blocked immediately.  If blocked immediately the member will not be able to access their account until a new card is reissued in 4 - 6 weeks.
• We are part of a very secure information network and are part of a worldwide reporting network.  It appears that many of the 1,800 fraudulent transactions are being generated out of Brazil.  We have BLOCKED any transactions that are originated from that country.  We also received "potentially fraudulent or suspicious transactions" on an ongoing basis. 
• ANOTHER IMPORTANT NOTE - The credit union participates in many programs that monitors all kinds of suspicious activity as part of the security processes that are in place.

WHAT IS THE MEMBER'S RESPONSIBILITY?

• Review their account activity which includes their checking account and if applicable their credit card information.
• You don't have to wait for monthly statements.  You can check your account or card activity on line.  For account information - Flex Teller is available and for VISA Credit Cards - ezcardinfo on line is available.  (If you don't already have access sign up for Flex Teller today by calling the credit union at 989-7240 or going on line at www.ezcardinfo.com for your VISA Card.
• The cost of this whole process is to the credit union, not to each member that has been affected.  However, this is a very expensive process and ultimately because of the nature of a credit union - a co-operative for all members - it can affect all members. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Credit Union.  We want the members to know that we are doing everything we can to minimize the inconvenience that this situation may be causing.  The safety and security of the debit card and credit card programs is very important and we constantly review how it can be improved.

 The following article was issued by the Maine Credit Union League, which is the trade association for Maine credit unions.

 "Major Retailer's Data Breach Significant," Say Maine Credit Unions

 (Westbrook, ME) - The impact on Maine credit unions of the recent debit and credit card compromise at Hanna ford Supermarket's is significant.  According to early statistics from the Maine Credit Union League, Maine credit unions are expected to be reissuing in excess of 100,000 new credit and debit cards as a result of the compromise.

According to Rebekah Higgins, Card Services Manager at Synergent, the service subsidiary of the Maine Credit Union League which handles card services and processing for many Maine credit unions, "Because the compromise occurred at a major Maine retailer that so many Maine people use on a regular basis, the impact and cost of this compromise will be significantly higher than the TJX compromise last year."  Higgins said a number of credit unions have already begun reissuing their entire card base.  She also urged consumers to monitor and review their statements from the past few months carefully and report any suspicious or fraudulent activity to their financial institution, adding, "Consumers have zero liability in this compromise."  

John Murphy, President of the Maine Credit Union League and Synergent, explained, "In this case, as is often the case in data breaches and compromises, the financial institution has done everything right and it is the merchant who bears full responsibility of the compromise.  Unfortunately, though, typically credit unions and other financial institutions bear most, if not all, of the costs associated with the compromise, such as reissuing the cards, staff resources, and communications with members.  We are strong advocates that the time has come to shift the financial burden from the financial institution to the source of the breach because, in the case of credit unions, every member-owner is affected by the breach."

Murphy said that the growing frequency of breaches and compromises led the Maine Credit Union League to help draft legislation that was introduced this session that directs the Bureau of Financial Institutions to study the effect of data security breaches, including the damages suffered as a result of these breaches, on Maine credit unions and banks.  The Resolve has passed both the House and Senate and is nearly ready to be sent to the Governor for his signature.  The Resolve directs the Bureau to report its findings to the Legislature no later than December 1, 2008.  "Hopefully, this is the first step in helping to further understand the significance of this issue and to begin to look for ways that will force the cause of compromises and breaches to be held accountable and responsible for the cost, a solution that we believe would lead to better security measures being put in place to prevent breaches and better protect consumers," Murphy concluded.

About the Maine Credit Union League

Formed in 1938, the Maine Credit Union League is the State Trade Association for Maine's 68-member credit unions providing a variety of services and products to assist credit unions in meeting the needs of their membership.  Visit