BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Eddie Bauer LLC (“Eddie Bauer” or the “Company”) today announced that its point of sale systems at retail stores were affected by malware, enabling unauthorized parties to access payment card information. Payment card information used for online purchases at eddiebauer.com was not affected.
Immediately upon detecting the issue, the Company engaged third-party digital forensic experts to conduct an extensive investigation to determine the facts. As part of the investigation, it was determined that customers’ payment card information used at Eddie Bauer retail stores on various dates between January 2, 2016 and July 17, 2016 may have been accessed. Not all cardholder transactions during this period were affected.
In conducting the investigation, it was determined that the intrusion was part of a sophisticated attack directed at multiple restaurants, hotels, and retailers, including Eddie Bauer.
“The security of our customers’ information is a top priority for Eddie Bauer,” said Mike Egeck, Chief Executive Officer of Eddie Bauer. “We have been working closely with the FBI, cyber security experts, and payment card organizations, and want to assure our customers that we have fully identified and contained the incident and that no customers will be responsible for any fraudulent charges to their accounts. In addition, we’ve taken steps to strengthen the security of our point of sale systems to prevent this from happening in the future.”
While not all transactions during this period were affected, out of an abundance of caution, Eddie Bauer is offering identity protection services to all customers who made purchases or returns during this period. Eddie Bauer has arranged to have Kroll, a global leader in risk mitigation and response, provide affected customers with complimentary services for 12 months.
Eddie Bauer is currently in the process of notifying customers whose payment card information may have been involved. Eddie Bauer encourages customers to carefully review and monitor their payment card account statements. If a customer believes his or her payment card may have been affected, the customer should immediately contact their bank or card issuer. Eddie Bauer has notified payment card networks so that they can coordinate with card issuing banks to monitor for fraudulent activity on cards used during the timeframe in which cards may have been compromised.
Customers with questions may visit http://cardnotification.kroll.com for more information.
About Eddie Bauer:
Eddie Bauer is an active outdoor brand offering premium-quality outerwear, apparel, footwear, accessories and gear. For almost 100 years, Eddie Bauer has been outfitting America; inspiring and enabling people to live their adventure. Eddie Bauer products are available online at www.eddiebauer.com, and at more than 400 stores in the United States, Canada, Germany, Japan, and other international markets.