Coles’ fury after Australian shoppers’ credit card details were stolen in Latitude data breach
The supermarket giant’s ‘disappointment’ after customers’ credit card details were stolen in a major data breach
- Cole’s credit card customer information stolen
- Cyberattack on former map provider Latitude
- Number of affected customers not yet known
Cole’s credit cards are the latest to be affected by a major data breach, affecting customers more than five years ago.
The shocking breach left hundreds of customers who owned a Coles credit card prior to 2018 fearful of being caught in the large-scale hack.
The cyberattack on Latitude Financial Services, Coles’ former credit card company, may have exposed customers’ personal information to online criminals, including passport and driver’s license information.
The supermarket giant has expressed its disappointment at the breach.
Latitude Financial Services cyberattack may have exposed customers’ personal information to online criminals, including passport and driver’s license information
“We are disappointed that this cyber incident has occurred and apologize for the inconvenience and uncertainty,” said a spokeswoman for Coles.
“As a former service provider, Latitude Financial Services has notified Coles Financial Services that Coles credit cardholder historical records have been compromised by the recent cyber incident.”
She said Latitude has not yet disclosed the number of affected customers or specific details of the breach.
Latitude said it is currently contacting affected customers.
Coles shut down Latitude when it switched to rival credit card provider Citi Bank five years ago.
The data hack was discovered last month, exposing 14 million Latitude customer records from Australia and New Zealand to criminals.
The breach included 7.9 million driver’s license records and about 53,000 passport numbers amidst the hacked customer data.
“We are disappointed that this cyber incident has occurred and apologize for the inconvenience and uncertainty,” said a spokeswoman for Coles.
Latitude has refused to give in to hackers’ ransom demands
Latitude Financial this week refused to pay a ransom to the cybercriminals for the stolen data.
“Latitude will not pay ransom to criminals,” said CEO Bob Belan.
“Based on the evidence and advice, there is simply no guarantee that this would result in the destruction of customer data and would only encourage further extortion attempts against Australian and New Zealand companies,” he said.
Coles says concerned customers with a Coles Mastercard can get help through the financial services supermarket’s contact center page.
Cardholders can also visit Latitude’s website for more information.
The shocking breach has left Coles customers who had a Latitude credit card prior to 2018 (pictured are shoppers in Coles)