American Express credit card info stolen in third-party hack

AMEX has notified an undisclosed number of customers that their credit card data was compromised in a breach at one of its merchant processors.

The financial service company said the incident did not impact any systems controlled by American Express

“We became aware that a third party service provider engaged by numerous merchants experienced unauthorized access to its system,” the notice reads. ”Account information of some of our Card Members, including some of your account information, may have been involved. It is important to note that American Express owned or controlled systems were not compromised by this incident, and we are providing this notice to you as a precautionary measure”.

Impacted information and best practices to protect against fraud

According to the data breach notification, threat actors accessed information of some American Express Card members, including:

· Current or previously issued account numbers

· Full names and credit card expiration dates

The company has notified all regulatory bodies that it had begun an extensive investigation to understand the extent of the breach.

This unfortunate incident has a silver lining though. American Express said customers will not be responsible for fraudulent purchases made with potentially exposed credit cards.

Credit card members are advised to remain vigilant and carefully review account statements over the next 24 months and immediately report suspicious activity.

Customers are also encouraged to enable fraud alerts via their American Express mobile app or request a new card number if their card information was compromised.

Caution goes a long way in protecting your online and financial security, and preventing attacks before they happen can save time, money and peace of mind.

If your financial information is part of a data breach, you need to be proactive to shut down potential risks:

• Set up a credit monitoring service to help you immediately spot potential fraud accounts and misuse of your identity
• Place a fraud alert on your credit report
• Place a credit freeze to prevent unauthorized access by potential thieves
• Review accounts and monitor for suspicious emails

Protect your identity and defend against fraud by opting for Bitdefender Identity Theft Protection (US only), a dedicated one-stop credit monitoring and identity theft protection service.

It also provides real-time alerts on credit report requests, address changes, court records, and payday loans in your name. If you fall victim to identity theft, you can benefit from insurance that guarantees you recover certain out-of-pocket expenses and lost wages if your identity is stolen.

For the rest of the world, Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection is the best tool for shielding you from the dangers of breaches. It monitors your personal data in real time, alerts you in case of data leaks, and reports to you any incident that puts your identity at risk.