Barnes & Noble has detected tampering with PIN pad devices used in
63 of its stores. Upon detecting evidence of tampering, which was
limited to one compromised PIN pad in each of the affected stores,
Barnes & Noble discontinued use of all PIN pads in its nearly 700 stores
nationwide. The company also notified federal law enforcement
authorities, and has been supporting a federal government investigation
into the matter.
Barnes & Noble (BKS) has completed an internal investigation that involved the
inspection and validation of every PIN pad in every store. The
tampering, which affected fewer than 1% of PIN pads in Barnes & Noble
stores, was a sophisticated criminal effort to steal credit card
information, debit card information, and debit card PIN numbers from
customers who swiped their cards through PIN pads when they made
purchases. This situation involved only purchases in which a customer
swiped a credit or debit card in a store using one of the compromised
PIN pads.
The company emphasized that its customer database is secure. Purchases
on Barnes & Noble.com, NOOK and NOOK mobile apps were not affected. The
member database was also not affected. None of the affected PIN pads was
discovered at Barnes & Noble College Bookstores.
Barnes & Noble is continuing to assist federal law enforcement
authorities in this matter. In addition, the company is working with
banks, payment card brands and issuers to identify accounts that may
have been compromised, so banks and issuers can employ enhanced fraud
security measures on potentially impacted accounts.
The criminals planted bugs in the tampered PIN pad devices, allowing for
the capture of credit card and PIN numbers. Barnes & Noble disconnected
all PIN pads from its stores nationwide by close of business September
14, and customers can securely shop with credit cards through the
company's cash registers. Barnes & Noble said it is committed to
providing customers with a safe shopping environment.
Tampered PIN pads were discovered from stores in the following states:
CA, CT, FL, NJ, NY, IL, MA, PA, RI. A complete list of specific stores
follows.
Store Address City State Zip
4735 Commons Way Calabasas CA 91302
2470 Tuscany Street Suite 101 Corona CA 92881
2015 Birch Road Suite 700 Chula Vista CA 91915
313 Corte Madera Town Center Corte Madera CA 94925
5604 Bay Street Emeryville CA 94608
810 West Valley Parkway Escondido CA 92025
1315 E. Gladstone Street Glendora CA 91740
5183 Montclair Plaza Lane Montclair CA 91763
894 Marsh St Bldg G San Luis Obispo CA 93401
2615 Vista Way Oceanside CA 92054
72-840 Highway 111 Suite 425 Palm Desert CA 92260
27460 West Lugonia Ave Redlands CA 92374
1150 El Camino Real Space 277 San Bruno CA 94066
