Massachusetts AG to Lead 30 State Probe Into TJX Data Breach

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley announced her office will lead a multi-state civil investigation into the recent data breach at TJX Companies, parent to TJMaxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods and a number of other well known retail chains. Coakley has asserted control of the investigation because TJX is based in Framingham, MA. Eweek.com reports that 30 other states have joined the probe.

The Massachusetts Bankers Association reports that thieves have made fraudulent use of credit and debit card information from the TJX incident in Florida, Georgia and Louisiana, as well as in Hong Kong and Sweden. Nearly 60 banks in Massachusetts have been contacted by the card associations and told that information about their card holders was disclosed. Banks are notifying their customers and in many cases are reissuing cards.

The fact that card holders and banks are (allegedly) able to trace particular fraudulent transactions back to a particular data breach by a particular corporation means the TJX matter is going to be very significant. It is the first big case in which people harmed by a data breach will be able to identify and then, of course, sue the company responsible for the disclosure of their personal information. Will there be class action lawsuits? Oh, please! Half a dozen have already been filed and my guess is that's just the start. More info on the class action litigation in a future post.