Chicago–(ENEWSPF)–May 3, 2011. Attorney General Lisa Madigan today alerted Illinoisans who own PlayStation devices to monitor their bank and credit card accounts for unusual activity in the wake of a Sony security breach reported to involve millions of users across the globe.
Madigan sent a letter to Sony in response to reports that hackers obtained credit card numbers and other personal information for millions of people worldwide and were attempting to sell the information for more than $100,000. Reports indicated a breach of the Sony PlayStation Network and Qriocity services affected 75 million people and a second breach of Sony Online Entertainment affected 25 million users. The Attorney General sought to determine the extent of the security breach, how many people in Illinois were affected, what notification is being made to those consumers and what steps the company is taking to ensure its network is secure.
“We are working to determine the extent of this security breach and its effect on Illinois consumers,” Attorney General Madigan said. “Consumers who have PlayStation consoles and use online services to play games or download movies or music should monitor their credit card accounts and report any suspicious activity to their financial institutions and local authorities.”
According to media reports, Sony is beginning to assist consumers whose information has been compromised. The company was reportedly offering free identify theft protection services and adding enhanced data protection levels, encryption and firewalls.
Consumers whose financial information is misused as a result of this security breach can contact Madigan’s Identity Theft Hotline at (866) 999-5630 for help or visit www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov for identity theft protection tips and advice.”
Source: illinoisattorneygeneral.gov
