Supermarket Chain Reports Customer Info Stolen
Rhode Island, Mass. Locations Affected

BOSTON -- Shoppers beware: Stop & Shop said that thieves have stolen personal account information from some of the checkout-lane keypads at a few stores.

NewsCenter 5's Jim Boyd reported Monday that store officials said that they were notified by a bank of fraudulent activity involving its stores in Cranston, R.I., and Coventry, R.I.

"In those two stores, credit card numbers and debit numbers were stolen," said Faith Weiner, of Stop & Shop.

Weiner would not say how the information was stolen, but she said in an audit of all 385 stores in the chain, investigators discovered that the pin pads used by customers who pay by credit card had been tampered with in six stores.

"It makes me kind of nervous about using my card here, which I just did," one customer said.

Customer information was lifted in Coventry and Cranston. Evidence of tampering was found in Bristol, R.I., Warwick, R.I., Providence, R.I., and Seekonk, Mass.

Weiner advised customers who paid by credit or debit cards in Cranston and Coventry to check to make sure their information has not been compromised.

"We want you to check your statements, call your bank or your card issuer and have some sense of security that you've reviewed this and that you feel comfortable," Weiner said.

Massachusetts state Sen. Jarrett Barrios, who wants to reform identity theft laws in the state, said in such situations, Massachusetts needs to demand more for consumers.

"We need to give consumers the right to have information told to them, information that's been stolen by a company. They need to be notified," he said.

One woman said that she has taken her own steps to protect her information.

"I do have an online service that if my Social Security number is hit, I'm notified within 24 hours," she said.

Stop & Shop said it is sharing updated information about the breach with consumers.

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