Home Depot has confirmed that it has suffered a payment data systems breach. The news comes less than a week after an investigation was launched into the matter.
In an attempt to avoid some of the fallout that Target experienced after its breach last year, Home Depot is offering free identity protection services to any customer affected. The Frequently Asked Questions page on their site urges customers to check their bank statements for any suspicious activity.
The company says that only its physical stores in the U.S. and Canada were affected, while it seems that locations in Mexico and purchases made on the online shop were not touched. The investigation includes transactions made from April 2014 onward. Home Depot claims that while the the magnitude of the breach is still being determined, “there is no evidence that debit PIN numbers were compromised.”
Home Depot Chairman and CEO Frank Blake stated:
“We apologize for the frustration and anxiety this causes our customers. We owe it to our customers to alert them that we now have enough evidence to confirm that a breach has indeed occurred. It’s important to emphasize that no customers will be responsible for fraudulent charges to their accounts.”
If this breach is on par with the Target fiasco last year, it can cost Home Depot in the hundreds of millions of dollars. However, analysts are confident that Home Depot would be able to sustain the blow.