Office supply retail chain Staples is investigating a possible cybersecurity breach that could have compromised customer payment data, which could make the retailer the latest to join the club of hacked corporations including Target and Home Depot.
“Staples is in the process of investigating a potential issue involving credit card data and has contacted law enforcement,” Staples spokesman Mark Cautela said in a statement late Monday according to Reuters. “We take the protection of customer information very seriously, and are working to resolve the situation.”
The disclosure came after cybersecurity investigative journalist Brian Krebs revealed in a blog post last week that multiple banks were reporting credit card fraud that could be linked to a series of Staples locations in the U.S.’s northeast corridor.
“According to more than a half-dozen sources at banks operating on the East Coast, it appears likely that fraudsters have succeeded in stealing customer card data from some subset of Staples locations, including seven Staples stores in Pennsylvania, at least three in New York City, and another in New Jersey,” Krebs wrote.
Citing bank sources, the report states the fraudulent transactions have highlighted a pattern that can be traced to “a small number of Staples locations,” indicating a customer payment data breach.
“If Staples discovers an issue, it is important to note that customers are not responsible for any fraudulent activity on their credit cards that is reported on a timely basis,” Cautela said.
Massachusetts-based Staples has more than 1,800 stores across the U.S.
The company declined to elaborate on any further details concerning the possible breach, and said only that the company is currently investigating the “potential issue” with authorities.
Earlier in October, Sears reported a likely breach of customer data at some Kmart locations, and Home Depot last month confirmed the successful hack of some 56 million customers’ payment information. Late last year, Target suffered a similar attack compromising more than 40 million customers’ payment information. (RELATED: Victims of Home Depot Hack Are Having Their Accounts Drained Across The U.S.)