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American Express card data exposed in third-party breach
American Express Co. has told an undisclosed number of cardholders that their account information may have been breached in a recent hacking of a merchant processor.
Current and previously issued American Express Card account numbers, expiration dates and customer names may have been compromised, AmEx stated in a notice filed last week with Massachusetts regulators.
“A third party service provider engaged by numerous merchants experienced unauthorized access to its system,” Anneke Covell, AmEx’s vice president, U.S. & AENB privacy, stated in the notice. “American Express owned or controlled systems were not compromised by this incident.”
AmEx said it’s actively monitoring the potentially impacted accounts for fraud, and stressed customers are not liable for fraudulent charges. The New York-based financial services company urged customers to review their accounts for fraudulent activity, sign up to get instant notifications of potential suspicious activity and to make sure their contact information is current.
There are different circumstances under which financial institutions may report incidents, according to AmEx, which cited a blog post on the Massachusetts state website. “For example, a financial institution may report an incident that occurred at a retailer where the consumer used their bank-issued card,” the company said.
In responding to a request for further comment, AmEx declined to disclose the number of those potentially impact nor the geographical reach of the breach.
“The incident that you are inquiring about occurred at a merchant processor and was not an attack on American Express or an American Express service provider, as some media outlets have erroneously reported. Because customer data was impacted, American Express provided notice of the incidents to Massachusetts agencies and impacted customers who reside in Massachusetts,” a spokesperson stated in an email.
“We have sophisticated monitoring systems and internal safeguards in place to help detect fraudulent and suspicious activity. If we see there is unusual activity that may be fraud, we will take protective actions,” the spokesperson noted.
Customers who notice any suspicious activity on their account can call: 1-855-693-2213.
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A food company known for popular grocery store condiments has recalled a package of tortilla strips that may be contaminated with wheat, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday. The product is meant to be gluten-free.
Sugar Foods, a manufacturing and distribution corporation focused mainly on various toppings, artificial sweeteners and snacks, issued the recall for the “Santa Fe Style” version of tortilla strips sold by the brand Fresh Gourmet.
“People who have a wheat allergy or severe sensitivity to wheat run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the product,” said Sugar Foods in an announcement posted by the FDA.
Packages of these tortilla strips with an expiration date as late as June 20, 2025, could contain undeclared wheat, meaning the allergen is not listed as an ingredient on the label. The Fresh Gourmet product is marketed as gluten-free.
Sugar Foods said a customer informed the company on Nov. 19 that packages of the tortilla strips actually contained crispy onions, another Fresh Gourmet product normally sold in a similar container. The brand’s crispy onion product does contain wheat, and that allergen is noted on the label.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
No illnesses tied to the packaging mistake have been reported, according to the announcement from Sugar Foods. However, the company is still recalling the tortilla strips as a precaution. The contamination issue may have affected products distributed between Sept. 30 and Nov. 11 in 22 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.
Sugar Foods has advised anyone with questions about the recall to contact the company’s consumer care department by email or phone.
CBS News reached out to Sugar Foods for more information but did not receive an immediate reply.
This is the latest in a series of food product recalls affected because of contamination issues, although the others involved harmful bacteria. Some recent, high-profile incidents include an E. coli outbreak from organic carrots that killed at least one person in California, and a listeria outbreak that left an infant dead in California and nine people hospitalized across four different states, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The E. coli outbreak is linked to multiple different food brands while the listeria outbreak stemmed from a line of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products sold by Yu-Shang Foods.