Customers fall victim to hacking attacks from Houston Zoo to federal government
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- From the federal government to the Houston Zoo, hackers are now in possession of everything from social security number to credit card numbers but the damage they can leave behind is very different.
The hack on the credit card system at the Houston Zoo lasted about a month from March until June of this year.
The company that runs the gift shop at the zoo found malware in their credit card system.
Now zoo customers are being told to check their statements and report any suspicious activity.
Zoo customers admit they don't really know what to do if they are victims of the hack attack.
"No, I wouldn't know what to do or where to start in this whole thing. I guess I'd call my bank and make sure I did not make any stupid or uncharacteristic purchases," said zoo visitor Samantha Narizano.
While dealing with a stolen credit card number can be a pain, it's nothing like the trouble facing 21 million people whose social security numbers were hacked from the federal government.
"They could open up a line of credit in your name, take out loans, have access to your bank accounts," said Leah Napoliello with the Houston Better Business Bureau.
Napoliello adds if your credit card number is compromised, take action immediately.
"Contact the three credit reporting agencies, and make sure you put a credit freeze on your account, so that means no one is able to open up a line of credit in your name," said Napoliello.
You can also pay for fraud monitoring. That's where private companies will monitor your credit, but you can make the calls to the credit reporting agencies yourself.
Here are links to those agencies:
