ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Cash only: how to protect yourself from a data breach

Updated on August 1, 2015
erinshelby profile image

Erin Shelby is a freelance writer. She blogs at DailyInspiredLiving.home.blog

An unauthorized person accesses your personal information during a data breach.
An unauthorized person accesses your personal information during a data breach. | Source

Have you ever been the victim of a data breach? Were you a victim of the Target data breach, Neiman Marcus credit card breach, Michaels data breach or Sally Beauty Supply data breach? Data breaches and identity theft are all too common in today's world. With computers storing vast amounts of personal information, theft need not occur in person. Credit cards, debit cards and checks are information that can destroy a person’s financial life if placed in the wrong hands. Here’s what you need to know about data breaches and how to protect yourself from a data breach.

What is a data breach?

In general, a data breach is when sensitive information is stolen from its rightful owner and reaches the hands of someone who should not have access to it. Data breaches can be accidental – such as an employee accidentally leaving a computer open, only to have an unauthorized person steal it – or they may be intentional, such as the large-scale DSW, Target data breach or Sally Beauty Supply attempted data breach. Data breaches are problematic for several reasons.

Why should I care about a data breach?

Consider a data breach as identity theft – what is done with the information will determine its impact on your life. What will occur if your name and social security number are used to open a fraudulent checking account? What will happen if you have good credit and a thief uses your information to obtain a car loan but never makes the payments? What if this thief uses your debit card and depletes your life savings? The consequences can be devastating.

This is crime scene during many data breaches.
This is crime scene during many data breaches. | Source

What happened during the Target data breach?

Starting on Black Friday in 2013, this incident was, according to "Good Morning America", “one of the largest data breaches of all time.” 40 million credit card numbers used in Target stores were stolen, along with each customer's name and the card expiration date. The Target data breach occurred over a period of less than a month and it is believed that the theft occurred through devices placed on cash registers in the stores. According to "Good Morning America", with the information the Target data breach thief or thieves have obtained, a fraudulent credit card can be created.

What happened during the DSW data breach?

DSW, a designer discount shoe store, is no stranger to data troubles. The DSW data breach was similar but impacted a smaller number of customers. This case also involved a wider variety of customer information. 280,000 unsuspecting shoe lovers had their personal information stolen, most likely through stolen IDs and passwords. 96,000 customers using checks had their check numbers and driver’s license numbers compromised. 1.4 million customers were the victims of their credit card numbers being exposed. Credit card numbers, checking account numbers, driver’s license numbers, IDs and passwords are the perfect combination for a thief's paradise.

Paying with cash prevents thieves from obtaining your credit card number.
Paying with cash prevents thieves from obtaining your credit card number. | Source

Target data breach, Neiman Marcus credit card breach

Target was thrust into the media spotlight when a data breach was discovered during the 2013 Christmas shopping season. The number of customers impacted was larger than originally announced. Shortly after the actual number of victims was disclosed, it was reported that high-end retailer Neiman Marcus also experienced a credit card breach.

Michaels data breach investigation

On January 25, 2014, arts and crafts chain Michaels announced that it may have experienced a data breach. In a letter posted on its website, Michaels CEO Chuck Rubin informed customers of an investigation being conducted with the assistance of law enforcement officials. The number of potential victims was not disclosed but the letter to Michaels customers stated that the company "recently learned of possible fraudulent activity." Michaels customers believing that they were impacted by the data breach are advised to contact their bank and order a free credit report from TransUnion, Experian or Equifax.

How can I protect myself from a data breach?

Finance guru Dave Ramsey, author of Financial Peace, advocates paying cash to stay on a budget using “the envelope system”. This method of staying on budget also happens to be an excellent way to reduce your risk of becoming a victim of a data breach. While some expenses are more convenient to pay using a credit card – such as electricity or internet – other expenses, such as gasoline, groceries, entertainment and miscellaneous expenses – are more easily tracked using cash instead of credit.

Have you ever been the victim of a data breach or identity theft?

See results

© 2013 erinshelby

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)