CRAP! (PORAC member database hacked)

[3S16]

I just got notification that my personal information has been compromised by hackers from Malasia, Egypt and the Republic of Mauritus through, of all places, PORAC!
They hacked into the retiree members data base. So, if you are a retired member of PORAC, the information you provided to join has now been stolen. You should recieve a notice from PORAC to contact one of the major credit companies and file a fraud alert.

[FLIGHT762]

I got my notification yesterday. luckily, I recently changed to a new credit card. It was fraudulently used a couple of months ago, but it wasn't overseas.

I guess I'm going to have to check in with the credit reporting folks.

[Jonathan Doe]

I didn't get any notification.

[Steyrlp10]

Thanks for sharing. Nothing in the mail yesterday, but who knows about today...

[1911_sfca]

Credit companies in Europe and elsewhere have been using smart chips embedded in credit cards along with pin codes for years. They look at Americans sideways when wanting to sign credit card bills with a pen.

As an IT professional, I can tell you that the security mechanisms credit card companies use are from the stone ages. Hello, PKI. Hello AAA. It's ridiculous that hackers can open a database of your mother's maiden name and what city you were born in, and fraudulently get access to your money. LAME, credit card industry. Come on.

[cacop]

Credit companies in Europe and elsewhere have been using smart chips embedded in credit cards along with pin codes for years. They look at Americans sideways when wanting to sign credit card bills with a pen.

As an IT professional, I can tell you that the security mechanisms credit card companies use are from the stone ages. Hello, PKI. Hello AAA. It's ridiculous that hackers can open a database of your mother's maiden name and what city you were born in, and fraudulently get access to your money. LAME, credit card industry. Come on.

They re mking 19% off of the people who have $20,000 in debt tthat never goes away. They don't care if they have to eat a few fraud charges every year. When I was doing fraud investigations they wouldn't help much unless the losses got into the tens of thousands for any one case.

[lairdb]

Credit companies in Europe and elsewhere have been using smart chips embedded in credit cards along with pin codes for years. They look at Americans sideways when wanting to sign credit card bills with a pen.

As an IT professional, I can tell you that the security mechanisms credit card companies use are from the stone ages. Hello, PKI. Hello AAA. It's ridiculous that hackers can open a database of your mother's maiden name and what city you were born in, and fraudulently get access to your money. LAME, credit card industry. Come on.

Card fraud in Europe is higher than in the US; EMV/chip+pin was developed because the communication infrastructure didn't support realtime validity checking. It's easy to compromise a signature card -- and it's easy to invalidate it. It's hard to compromise an chip+pin card -- and nearly impossible to invalidate it.

There are better answers, but the ROI on implementing them isn't there.

[EOD3]

When identity theft starts being treated like stealing horses a hundred or so years ago, it'll come to a screeching halt. GET A ROPE!

[psango]

Fortunately mine did not contain credit card info. still placed a fraud alert on my credit file. I know of 2 people that had fraudulent charges on their cards from this breach.

[DOJ-retired]

Hello, first post as I found this topic via a Google search. I received my letter today. PORAC claims that they didn't have any CC info on me, but my name, dob, address, and SSN were hacked. CC fraud is easy to fix, but now 1,000s of retirees are at risk of "credit fraud" as this data is now available to criminals around the world to obtain credit, loans, new credit cards, etc.

I have locked up my credit files at all three agencies and obtained new credit reports and they are clean. PORAC now owes me $50.00. CALPERS had this happen 2-3 years ago and they provided free credit protection for a full year.

PORAC should be ashamed of themselves. There is absolutely no excuse for having the RAM database on a computer that is accessable through the internet.