Massachusetts Attorney General Leading Investigation Into TJX Data Breach

"TJX has been very cooperative with the Attorney General's Office, and we are interested in continuing to work closely with the company so that we can protect Massachusetts consumers and the marketplace from credit card and other fraud," said Attorney General Coakley.

On Wednesday, January 17, 2007, The TJX Companies, Inc. announced that it had determined that information was stolen from its computer systems that process and store information related to customer transactions. TJX reports that information regarding credit and debit cards sales transactions in TJX's stores in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico during 2003, as well as such information for these stores for the period from mid-May through December 2006, may have been accessed.

Since taking office last month, Attorney General Coakley has stressed that addressing identity theft and credit card fraud will be a top priority of her administration. The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office has been involved in several investigations into similar security breaches where personal information has been compromised, and the office has taken a role in advocating for legislative changes to address these issues.

"The recent TJX date breach demonstrates that Massachusetts citizens do not have all the necessary tools to protect themselves against identity theft or credit card fraud," Attorney General Coakley said. "There are several proposals pending, including those that would require notification of consumers when their data was stolen or released, or that would give consumers the right to place a security freeze on their credit reports, which we are interested in reviewing. I look forward to working with the Legislature to determine the best ways to help consumers protect themselves and their credit."