Is your credit card info online?

HOUSTON A Friendswood couple got the shock of their lives when they discovered a huge list of credit card numbers on the internet and it included their information.

It is not what you want to see on the internet, a list of hundreds of credit card numbers and names, even addresses and cell phone numbers.

Nathan and Kelly found the list includes their personal information.

"I was scared. I was really, really scared," said Kelly.

The couple stumbled upon the Russian website with their information when a realtor looking at the home the couple listed for sale did an internet search on the couple's address.

"What came up was all of my personal information, credit card number, expiration date, phone number, everything," said Kelly.

And it wasn't just her info. "Hundreds, hundreds and hundreds of people all over the United States," said Kelly.

The couple cancelled their credit card and called police, then started calling other people on the list to warn them about the security breach.

"I talked to this guy Scott in Rhode Island and he said thank you so much because his credit card was actually active," said Nathan.

We contacted Stacey, another local woman whose information is on the list, and showed it to her.

"I am so shocked and appalled. I cannot believe someone would do something like that even though you hear about this every day," said Stacey.

Stacey's card number is from a debit card she lost in October and while that card has been canceled, the other information is still valid.

"If they can pull up my name and e-mail address telephone number and address on the internet, what else can they pull up?" said Stacey.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, the information on the site was sold to someone in Russia who compiled the web-based document.

The FTC warns those on the list to contact their credit card company, but Nathan and Kelly said everyone with a credit card should perform an internet search of their own address to see what pops up.

"Every time I move, yeah, I am going to check my address for sure," said Nathan.

To check your own information simply enter your address into a Google search box. If you see it come up on a web site in what looks like a foreign language, click on the file to see what's there.

What should someone do if they see their name on that list?

The FBI said to contact your credit card company and tell them. Also, contact the three credit reporting bureaus and put fraud alerts on your accounts.

You can also report this to the federal government. We have links on how to do those things on the abc13.com Consumer Blog.

Google responded to us in a statement, saying, "Due to the sensitive nature of the content, we are in the process of removing this result from our search index. However, please keep in mind that search engines are a reflection of the content and information that is available on the Internet. Search engines such as Google do not own this content, and do not have the ability to remove content directly from the Internet. Standards are in place that Google and other search engines follow that enable site owners to protect information on their sites from being indexed and searchable. These standards give site owners the flexibility to publish content and control how it is found."

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