Barnes & Noble Stores in South Florida Breached By Identity Thieves

If you recently made a purchase at one of ten different Barnes & Noble stores throughout South Florida, you may want to check your bank statement for any unusual purchases. You may also want to change your PIN number. According to the FBI, identity thieves breached PIN pad devices at stores in...

By Chris Joseph

October 24, 2012

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If you recently made a purchase at one of ten different Barnes & Noble stores throughout South Florida, you may want to check your bank statement for any unusual purchases.

You may also want to change your PIN number.

According to the FBI, identity thieves breached PIN pad devices at stores in South Florida, including Pembroke Pines, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach Gardens, Boynton Beach, West Palm Beach, as well as in Aventura, Coral Gables, South Miami and Kendall.

The security breach was apparently a part of a larger attack across the country, targeting roughly 60 Barnes & Noble bookstores in Florida, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

Barnes & Noble spokeswoman Mary Ellen Keating told the Sun-Sentinel via email that the store couldn't give any more information regarding the Florida stores, due to the on-going FBI investigation.

Barnes & Noble disconnected all the effected PIN pad devices on September 14 after the breach was discovered. The company says it doesn't know the number of customers affected.

Customers using the Barnes & Noble website, mobile applications, its Nook devices or Nook apps were not affected by the security breach, according to the company statement.

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