Target breach victim upset with local credit union

Target’s widespread data theft has breached the Borderland. The retailer said it’s working to restore consumer confidence, but not all banks who issued the credit cards are helping that cause.

The retailer said hackers compromised the credit cards of about 40 million shoppers across the country. They also made off with personal info from another 70 million customers.

“I am writing to make you aware that your name, mailing address, phone number or email address may have been taken during the intrusion,” said Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel in an apology email to victims. “I am truly sorry this incident occurred, and sincerely regret any inconvenience it may cause you.”

The apology didn’t necessarily ease Charles Birhanzel’s mind. Neither did the offer for a free year of credit monitoring.

“You’re asking victims of an identity theft to go online and provide all of their personal information again,” Birhanzel said.

But it’s more than Brian Kirby got from the bank that issued his debit card. He didn’t find out it had been compromised until a grocery store declined it.

“‘I know I have that money in that account,'” Kirby said he told the clerk. “And she and the bag girl are like, ‘Sure, you do.'”

So he called the debit-card company. A representative told him the company canceled his card. A new one was on the way.

“I have a lot of automatic payments that were associated with that card and have since incurred a lot of late fees,” Kirby said. “When those payments were processed, it came back as declined.”

About $100 in total. And through all of this, not a peep from his local credit union, GECU, even though Kirby said he’s registered for notifications.

“I didn’t see an email or a text or a letter,” Kirby said.

Kirby said his debit-card company’s customer-service rep told him that he’d heard similar complaints about GECU from other customers.

“Anybody who thinks you have no money until payday, you literally sweat,” Kirby said. “How am I going to make it the next 16 days until my next check is deposited into that account.”

As of Thursday, no fraudulent charges on Kirby’s account.

A GECU representative said the credit union is sorry that Kirby did not receive a letter. It’s normally company policy to notify members when investigating and preventing fraud.