Target: Free Credit Report And Ten Percent Discount Offered

The recent Target security breach which affected more than 40 million credit and debit cards accounts may have been a cloud, but it did have a silver lining. The company announced that following the breach they would be offering a free credit report and a ten percent discount by way of an apology to its “guests”.

In an official statement released by Gregg Steinhafel, the CEO of Target, he recognized the confusion that the breach had caused to customers, he said:

“Yesterday we shared that there was unauthorized access to payment card data at our U.S. stores. The issue has been identified and eliminated. We recognize this has been confusing and disruptive during an already busy holiday season. Our guests’ trust is our top priority at Target and we are committed to making this right.”

The Target free credit report is available to its customers from any of the three American credit reporting agencies. Steinhafel continued to reassure customers: “We want to reassure guests that they will not be held financially responsible for any credit and debit card fraud.”

The security breach happened in Target stores between November 27 and December 15 and left shoppers exposed after personal data was stolen. That data included names, credit card numbers and three digit security codes.

Steinhafel went further in reassuring customers who feel they might be at risk: “We want our guests to understand that just because they shopped at Target during the impacted time frame, it doesn’t mean they are victims of fraud.”

Customers who shopped during those dates were advised by Target to check their statements carefully and confirm whether or not any unauthorized payments were charged to them.

The company did not confirm how the breach occurred, simply saying that they had fixed the issue and that the risk has been eliminated.

It remains to be seen what caused the security breach, and whether the Target free credit report and ten percent discount will be enough for customers who’s private information may have been compromised.