October 16, 2009
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News: The Price of Cheer Just Went Up
Okay, you for a little cheer and what do you get? If you live in Colorado Springs and visited the Cheers Liquor Mart, you might have also become the victim of another cleaver credit card scam. It is believed that hackers broke into the stores computer system and stole thousands of customers' debit and credit card numbers. Information on how the hackers were able to break into Cheers' system has not yet been released; however the liquor store owners have hired an outside firm, Cyopsis, to conduct a thorough investigation. Cyopsis is a Denver based firm that specializes in information technology forensic investigations. Measures have already been taken to place new security features in the Cheers' computer system to eliminate any further theft of debit and credit card information.
It is speculated that the debit and credit card theft occurred over the past few weeks. Store owners told the local channel 11 News that they believe they have pinpointed where the thieves gained entrance into the computer system and that the problem has been repaired. The continued police investigation prohibits the store owners from releasing any further information. Furthermore, Mr. Jack Backman, co-owner of the Cheers Liquor Mart has expressed his sentiment that they are very sorry for the difficulties their debit and credit card customers have experienced as a result of the problem and want to assure them that they are doing everything possible to assure it does not occur in the future.
Meanwhile, while reporting the story, 11 News talked with a few of the stores customers to get their take on the situation. Over all, most of the customers felt confident that their card information is safe while making purchases at the store. Some customers say they will continue to use credit cards because these cards offer greater protection than debit cards do. Still other customers say they will take extra precaution by paying in cash for their purchases. It is estimated that over 1,500 customers were affected by the incident.