Last month, VISA USA's Fraud Control Department detected "suspicious activity" on the numbers and notified FNBF and several other banks across the country. FNBF employees began making calls to customers upon opening for business on April 28, notifying them of the problem and promising to replace the numbers and cards as quickly as possible.

Cone confirmed that the hacker was caught before any customer dollars could be spent.

"We were ahead on this one," he said.

VISA USA issued the following statement to the public on the matter: "It is important for U.S. cardholders to know they are fully protected by Visa's zero liability policy, which means they pay nothing for an unauthorized purchase. We are currently working with law enforcement and our member financial institutions in this matter to ensure the protection of our cardholders."

[ Read more ]

Related items

• News: Backup is key to identity theft protection (7 May 2003)
• News: Ex-con man advises on identity theft (25 April 2003)
• News: Identity theft problems in Australia (28 February 2003)
• News: Identity-theft complaints almost double in 2002 (23 January 2003)