In a statement made to MCV, Visa says;
Concerned cardholders should keep a close eye on their accounts and report any unusual or unexpected activity to their issuing bank, Cardholders who are innocent victims of fraud will get their money back, subject to the terms and conditions of their bank.
While this might seem like a big weight lifted off gamers shoulders the truth is this is only a small part of the puzzle. This is common practice by credit card companies for many years, and while card holders do need to go through a process of forms and paperwork in the end you’ll not be out money. But this bigger issue with this entire PSN debacle is, identity theft. With this information and a bit of work hackers and other wrong-doers (what is this the 50′s?) could potential open lines of credit and other accounts under your name. Which in the long run have a negative impact on your credit score and ability to borrow money. Again while these issues can many times be corrected, the effort and time you’ll need to invest is quite large. Anyone who entered information into the Playstation Network need to get off the couch and at the least look into the below suggestions made by Sony:
U.S. residents are entitled under U.S. law to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit bureaus. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call toll-free (877) 322-8228.
We have also provided names and contact information for the three major U.S. credit bureaus below. At no charge, U.S. residents can have these credit bureaus place a “fraud alert” on your file that alerts creditors to take additional steps to verify your identity prior to granting credit in your name. This service can make it more difficult for someone to get credit in your name. Note, however, that because it tells creditors to follow certain procedures to protect you, it also may delay your ability to obtain credit while the agency verifies your identity. As soon as one credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the others are notified to place fraud alerts on your file. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, or should you have any questions regarding your credit report, please contact any one of the agencies listed below.
Experian: 888-397-3742; www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013
Equifax: 800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
TransUnion: 800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790You may wish to visit the web site of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission at www.consumer.gov/idtheft or reach the FTC at 1-877-382-4357 or 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580 for further information about how to protect yourself from identity theft. Your state Attorney General may also have advice on preventing identity theft, and you should report instances of known or suspected identity theft to law enforcement, your State Attorney General, and the FTC. For North Carolina residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; telephone (877) 566-7226; or www.ncdoj.gov. For Maryland residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; telephone: (888) 743-0023; or www.oag.state.md.us.
