USC Reports Credit Card Security Breach at Campus Eateries
University of Southern California officials notified students and staff Thursday of a credit card security breach that occurred at eateries on the USC University Park and Health Sciences campuses. According to a letter posted on the university's Web site, the breach affected purchases made between May 21 and June 21.
"Credit card numbers were obtained illegally through a breach in a third-party software system used to process credit card transactions in some USC dining halls," said Dan Stimmler, associate senior vice president at USC Auxiliary Services, in the letter. Stimmler went on to say that only credit card numbers were exposed and that no personal information had been compromised.
The breach was discovered after a number of individuals, who'd recently made purchases at the affected food outlets, contacted USC’s Department of Public Safety to report fraudulent charges on their credit cards. Upon confirming the breach, the university promptly disabled the faulty system and instructed the system's vendor to correct the issue. University safety officials and local police are investigating the incident.
USC encourages those who have recently used credit cards at campus dining facilities to review credit card statements for the next few months and report any unusual activity.
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Kanoe Namahoe is online editor for 1105 Media's Education Group. She can be reached at [email protected].