The Bee Cave Bee

From Lakeway PD's December 20th Release: Lakeway police are encouraging residents to review their credit and debit card statements in the wake of retailer Target’s confirmation of a breach of credit and debit card data that may have affected up to 40 million shoppers.

The impact affects accounts in the Central Texas area, including the cities of Lakeway and Bee Cave.
The U.S. Secret Service is investigating the breach for in-store transactions conducted the three weeks after Thanksgiving, Nov. 28. Target is partnering with a third-party forensics firm to conduct an investigation of the incident.

Customers are not responsible for any fraudulent charges when a data breach has occurred. The card issuer or occasionally the merchant bears those costs.

Many major credit card companies and banks are monitoring the situation, and are encouraging customers to alert them to any possible fraudulent charges.

“Customers who made purchases during that time should contact their banking institution, advise them their card may have been compromised and request a new card be issued,” said Sgt. Mike Pribble of the Lakeway Police Department.

A new card will have a different number, expiration date and security code, said Pribble, who investigated a similar breach of data when hackers infiltrated a Lakeway restaurant’s credit card system in 2012.

Police also encourage individuals to check their credit report at least once a year. To view a credit report for free, visit www.annualcreditreport.com, which the federal government has authorized.

Once at the site, answer a few security questions and choose from any or all of three credit bureaus: Experian, TransUnion or Equifax.

“We encourage our residents to diligently monitor and secure their financial information,” Lakeway Police Chief Todd Radford said. “Credit card fraud happens every day.”

For information, call Sgt. Pribble at Lakeway Police Department at 512-314-7590.