Forever 21 Finds Data Breach at Stores

Forever 21 Inc. has found a computer data breach that compromised customer data sporadically over an eight-month period. Following a two-month investigation, the Los Angeles clothing retailer confirmed the breach through malware installed on point-of-sale devices at some of its U.S. stores. In most cases, the malware was only able to find data from cards that did not have the cardholder’s name to go along with the card number, verification code and expiration date. But in some cases, the cardholder’s name was also stolen. The investigation found that the malware invasions resulted when point-of-sale devices at some U.S stores were turned off from April 3 to Nov 18. “Because the investigation is continuing, complete findings are not available, and it is too early to provide further details on the investigation,” said the company in a statement. “Forever 21 expects to provide an additional notice as it gets further clarity on the specific stores and timeframes that may have been involved.” The company said if customers see authorized charges from Forever 21, they should notify their banks immediately. Forever 21 operates more than 815 stores. In the San Fernando Valley region it has locations in Burbank, Glendale, Canoga Park, Northridge, Sherman Oaks, Thousand Oaks, Valencia, Palmdale and Lancaster.