Pad Hack at Barnes & Noble Draws Lawsuits from Customers

The point-of-sale keyboard hack at Barnes & Noble bookstores led to three class-action complaints for “failure to protect customers’ personal financial data, including but not limited to credit and debit card information and person identification numbers.”

With 700 nationwide stores having used tampered devices, Barnes & Noble postponed the public announcement until an FBI investigation was launched in an attempt to pinpoint the cyber crooks.

Jonathan Honor and Ray Clutts, from Illinois, filled class-action complaints against the retailer for not protecting their credit card data and not personally contacting and warning affected customers.

“All we know is what Barnes & Noble has stated publicly ” and that’s the problem,“ said attorney Jeffrey Leon, representing the two. “Barnes & Noble has not told people if their cards were used at one of the pads that had been compromised.“

Two other Illinois residents, Elizabeth Nowak and Susan Winstead, filed class-action complaints, the latter saying she received a warning from her credit card company about a suspicious transaction.

Although the company did not release details on the model of the PIN pads used in its stores, both the company and an FBI spokesperson were cited as saying an investigation is still under way.

Barnes & Noble advises customers to change their PIN numbers and report any dubious activities with their accounts to proper authorities.