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UTUSN

(70,691 posts)
Sat Jan 18, 2014, 01:18 PM Jan 2014

Forget NSA, how do Target, a motel, & whoever find my e-addy I didn't provide them?

Besides this one from Target, where I made a small, cash, no cards transaction, I got an e-mail from a lodging asking for a survey. I wasn't asked for & didn't volunteer an e-addy by either one. Yeah, I use one of the giant/free outlets for e-mail, or maybe this is already t.m.i. This is a sincere question, about how they get the e-addys.


*********QUOTE********

(e-mail sent to me: )

[font size=5]Important message from Target to our guests
Dear Target Guest,[/font]

As you may have heard or read, Target learned in mid-December that criminals forced their way into our systems and took guest information, including debit and credit card data. Late last week, as part of our ongoing investigation, we learned that additional information, including name, mailing address, phone number or email address, was also taken. I am writing to make you aware that your name, mailing address, phone number or email address may have been taken during the intrusion.

I am truly sorry this incident occurred and sincerely regret any inconvenience it may cause you. Because we value you as a guest and your trust is important to us, Target is offering one year of free credit monitoring to all Target guests who shopped in U.S. stores, through Experian’s® ProtectMyID® product which includes identity theft insurance where available. To receive your unique activation code for this service, please go to creditmonitoring.target.com and register before April 23, 2014. Activation codes must be redeemed by April 30, 2014.

In addition, to guard against possible scams, always be cautious about sharing personal information, such as Social Security numbers, passwords, user IDs and financial account information. Here are some tips that will help protect you:
Never share information with anyone over the phone, email or text, even if they claim to be someone you know or do business with. Instead, ask for a call-back number.

Delete texts immediately from numbers or names you don’t recognize.
Be wary of emails that ask for money or send you to suspicious websites. Don’t click links within emails you don’t recognize.

Target’s email communication regarding this incident will never ask you to provide personal or sensitive information.
Thank you for your patience and loyalty to Target. You can find additional information and FAQs about this incident at our Target.com/databreach website. If you have further questions, you may call us at 866-852-8680.
Gregg Steinhafel

Chairman, President and CEO


http://www.nydailynews.com#ixzz2qlpTIIQz

[font size=5] PICTURED: The 17-year-old Russian national accused of selling the malware cyberhackers used to steal credit card information from up to 110 million Target customers and more at Neiman Marcus[/font]

Security firm IntelCrawler posted that the teen sold the software responsible for breaching security at the retailers and affecting as many as 110 million Target customers alone.

From Russia, with malware.

A 17-year-old Russian national from St. Petersburg was responsible for the malicious programing that allowed for data from Target and Neiman Marcus to be compromised, according to a California-based security firm.

IntelCrawler said in a blog post Friday that it identified the creator, who they said wasn't responsible for the security breaches of the two retailers, but rather sold the software to cybercriminals throughout Eastern Europe.

The company's CEO, Andrew Komarov, said it was possible for Target and Neiman Marcus to be hacked after the software tried several easy passwords to remotely hack the stores' registers, and added that the malware, called BlackPOS, has been downloaded some 60 times.

Target's security breach following a Black Friday shopping blitz affected up to 110 million customers. However, Neiman Marcus has yet to reveal how many shoppers were affected, or what kind of data was taken. ....

*************UNQUOTE

9 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Forget NSA, how do Target, a motel, & whoever find my e-addy I didn't provide them? (Original Post) UTUSN Jan 2014 OP
Everyone who has your email address most likely sells it. MineralMan Jan 2014 #1
Anything that starts out "Dear valued customer" or some variation therof hobbit709 Jan 2014 #2
I got that too. Matariki Jan 2014 #3
Amazon, for me, would be the strongest possibility (besides my giant/free internet provider) UTUSN Jan 2014 #5
The Consumerist indicates Target got it from Amazon bananas Jan 2014 #7
Thanks bananas. joshcryer Jan 2014 #8
thanks and despite the one click convenience of amazon it.s still creepy nt UTUSN Jan 2014 #9
Sounds like NSA guys need to be about 15 WhiteTara Jan 2014 #4
Regretfully, I use gmail, and a little over a year ago They_Live Jan 2014 #6

MineralMan

(146,308 posts)
1. Everyone who has your email address most likely sells it.
Sat Jan 18, 2014, 02:11 PM
Jan 2014

Your email provider actively markets it. Many businesses sell customer information to other businesses. Look at the privacy statements of places where you've provided your email to sign up, order, or whatever. Any website, for example, that makes you sign up using your email address as your user name is very likely selling your email address, along with other information, to most anyone who will pay for it.

Every time you use your email online as your user name or provide it to any business online, you're giving them something marketable. Go look at the privacy statements for the websites. You'll see. They freely disclose their policies, but almost nobody reads them. People just click the "Yes, I have read your Terms of Service" box so they can get on with whatever it is they are doing. Go read what you didn't read, and you'll see that you agreed to let them sell your email address. No brainer.

hobbit709

(41,694 posts)
2. Anything that starts out "Dear valued customer" or some variation therof
Sat Jan 18, 2014, 02:23 PM
Jan 2014

Is probably a scam or phishing. Anyone that you've done business with will have your name on file and address you as such.

Matariki

(18,775 posts)
3. I got that too.
Sat Jan 18, 2014, 02:25 PM
Jan 2014

I was thinking they may have gotten it from Amazon(?) I think Target partners w/ Amazon.

UTUSN

(70,691 posts)
5. Amazon, for me, would be the strongest possibility (besides my giant/free internet provider)
Sat Jan 18, 2014, 05:31 PM
Jan 2014

Despite the part that anybody I've done business with sells the e-addy, the puzzle for me is that the Target recent transaction was totally anonymous, no name on it via cash. Although, did they send the e-mail to every single body who has IN THE PAST used a debit card with them? I can see that the motel did, at least, have my name, but without other bits like a middle initial or other conclusive information (after strikeout, well the motel DID have the debit card). There are scads of people with my first and last names.

The randomness of these businesses suddenly accessing me ...

bananas

(27,509 posts)
7. The Consumerist indicates Target got it from Amazon
Sun Jan 19, 2014, 05:08 AM
Jan 2014
http://consumerist.com/2014/01/17/non-target-customers-wondering-how-target-got-contact-info-to-send-email-about-hack/

Non-Target Customers Wondering How Target Got Contact Info To Send Email About Hack
By Mary Beth Quirk January 17, 2014

<snip>

The good news first: A Target spokeswoman has confirmed to Consumerist that the email is “an official communication,” despite it seeming like the perfect chance for hackers to strike yet again. So, whew.

But when we asked where Target obtained email addresses for people who are not now and have never been customers of the retailer, the spokeswoman simply said, “The information was obtained by Target through the normal course of our business.”

Consumerist reader Erica points to discussions on Twitter and elsewhere, wondering if perhaps the email addresses were from Amazon, a remnant from the old Amazon-Target partnership.

Another of our observant readers Mike S. says the Amazon connection could be valid. He explains: “I own my own domain name, and I always create a new unique email address for each web business that I deal with. I received the Target email at a unique email address that I created for use on Amazon.com (that’s an email address that I only gave to Amazon.) So, Target must have gotten my email address from Amazon.”

<snip>

joshcryer

(62,270 posts)
8. Thanks bananas.
Sun Jan 19, 2014, 05:23 AM
Jan 2014

Had a mild panic attack there. Looks like I'm clear. I have a very private email I check very rarely which is connected to Amazon / other vendors (not Target). Haven't bought much online in the past 6 months, so I was worried, glad you mentioned that connection, though, it made me check my accounts.

(Note: the email account is connected to my phone but because it is super private I almost never get notifications on it. So it never gave me any indications anything was up. I guess I can say Amazon, Costal, Newegg and Wal-Mart don't harass you if you don't sign up to their lists; the four major vendors I used that account on.)

WhiteTara

(29,715 posts)
4. Sounds like NSA guys need to be about 15
Sat Jan 18, 2014, 04:17 PM
Jan 2014

to keep up with the other 15 year olds. Our old white man mentality is really keeping us in the dark ages.

They_Live

(3,233 posts)
6. Regretfully, I use gmail, and a little over a year ago
Sat Jan 18, 2014, 10:44 PM
Jan 2014

I started noticing that I was getting some strange mail emails about airplane flights from Canada to Europe (I live in Texas), a furniture store in Edmonton, some others about Wedding gifts that I had bought in California, and some gardening committee meeting notes from an apartment management group in England. I finally realized that I was getting the mail for some other people using gmail with my same name but living in other countries (except the California one, hmmmm). I even spoke with the person in Canada to verify and let him know that I had his flight information. I wrote Google about the issue, but will not likely get i a response in this lifetime.

on edit: I don't know if the OP uses gmail, but I am curious, which is why I went on about my mail.

I shop Target a lot, but have not received any email about this stuff.

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