IP: Computer Theft, Low-Tech Style: Visa credit information

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

Date: Tue, 19 Nov 1996 23:06:40 -0500 (EST)
From: Edupage Editors <educom () elanor oit unc edu>
Subject: Computer Theft, Low-Tech Style: Visa credit information


A thief broke into a Visa International data processing center in California
a couple of weeks ago and stole a personal computer containing information
on about 314,000 credit card accounts, including Visa, MasterCard, American
Express, Discover and Diners Club, says a Visa spokesman.  Some issuers,
including Citibank, began calling customers last week and have issued new
cards.  Others are keeping quiet about the event and monitoring accounts for
unusual activity.  Authorities speculate that the perpetrator was stolen for
the resale value of the hardware, rather than the information it contained.
(*St. Petersburg Times*, 19 Nov 1996 E2)