Barnes & Noble Scam Affected WC Store

(Editor's Note: The following press release was released Wednesday, October 24 by Barnes and Noble. The Walnut Creek store is on the list of those affected.)

Barnes & Noble Detects Tampering with PIN Pad Devices at Stores

 

October 24, 2012; New York – Barnes & Noble 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, IL, MA, NJ, NY, 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 of 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, with questions.

Did you shop at one of the affected stores? Has Barnes and Noble contacted you? Does the increasing issue of credit card security concern you? Let us know in the comments.