GREENSBORO, NC -- All this talk about identity theft has viewers asking questions about personal safety. A Triad woman called us about something she experienced at Walmart. She said she's asked to enter her social security number on the card reader when she cashes a check. She asked: "Does that make me vulnerable to identity thieves?"
The answer is... Yes.
The Attorney General's office says several recent security breaches involved information entered on a key pad. Remember Target back in December? Barnes & Noble in 2012? Thieves stole encrypted PIN data from both Target and Barnes & Noble. If those stores had asked for your social, the criminals could have access to it also.
The AG's office says ask the store if you can give something other than your social security number. If you can't - and still want to make the purchase - the Attorney General recommends putting a free security freeze on your credit report to protect yourself afterwards.
We're waiting to hear back from Walmart to see why the store asks for the social security number and what processes they have in place to keep your information secure.
