Six US banks based in Massachusetts have sent letters to their customers warning them that their debit card information has potentially fallen into fraudsters’ hands, forcing them to get new ones.
These regional banks, most of which have branches in and around the Boston area, all filed letters with the state government.
The affected banks include Eagle Bank, The Village Bank, Savers Bank, Webster Five, Watertown Savings Bank, and Main Street Bank.
Eagle Bank, The Village Bank, Savers Bank and Main Street Bank told customers that a breach into a merchant’s payment network allowed unauthorized access to their Mastercard debit card details.
Mastercard told DailyMail.com there was no breach of Mastercard’s systems. It explained that there was a problem with a specific merchant the affected bank customers transacted with.
‘When such events are identified, we alert the card issuers who may have had specific card accounts at risk so they can take the appropriate action,’ a spokesperson said, adding that customers aren’t liable for any fraudulent purchases.
Mastercard didn’t reveal which merchant or merchants suffered the security lapse.
Webster Five was the only bank not to identify a merchant as the cause of the security lapse, only telling customers their debit card number may have been compromised.
Most of the affected regional banks have branches in and around the Boston area
A merchant was reportedly the source of the security breach, according to the letters from the banks. Customers’ Mastercard debit cards were potentially at risk
‘If you discover that your card has been misused, please notify us immediately so we may close your card and work with you to file a dispute,’ Webster Five wrote in its letter.
‘You are not liable for unauthorized debit card transactions if we hear from you within 60 days after we sent the first statement on which the problem or error appeared.’
‘You are not liable for unauthorized debit card transactions if we hear from you within 60 days after we sent the first statement on which the problem or error appeared.’
Affected customers at Eagle Bank and Savers Bank will have their old card terminated and receive new cards without having to do anything.
Watertown Savings Bank specified what customer information fell into unauthorized hands and what to do if affected.
‘The breach included the capture of some of your personal information, such as your name and card number,’ it wrote.
The statement continued: ‘Please be assured you are not liable for any such activity. We do ask that you remain vigilant on monitoring your account activity for the next 12 to 24 months and report any unusual or suspicious activity immediately.’
It told customers to get in touch if they wanted a new debit card.
The Village Bank, which stressed that its computer and debit card networks weren’t compromised, also requires customers to reach out if they want a new card.
‘At this time, we do not have any evidence that your personal information was used for fraudulent purposes but if you would like to completely eliminate the risk of fraud, we recommend that you contact us to close your card and we will reissue you a new one,’ wrote The Village Bank.
Pictured: Watertown Savings Bank in Watertown, Massachusetts
Two of the banks offered resources for customers to contact the three major credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion – so they can check for potential fraud and initiate a credit freeze if necessary.
Freezes on credit prohibit anyone, even the cardholder themselves, from opening new lines of credit.
This is usually a step taken by people who believe their identity has been stolen.
Three of the banks listed the time frames when customer data was potentially available to unauthorized individuals.
- Eagle Bank: August 15, 2023 – May 25, 2024
- The Village Bank: January 27, 2024 – September 30, 2024
- Main Street Bank: June 28, 2023 – April 26, 2024
