Sally Beauty supply, a retail chain that sells hair and beauty items based in Denton, was hacked earlier this month according to a release obtained by Breitbart Texas. The company hired Verizon’s forensics firm to investigate the incident and pinpoint exactly how many people may have been affected.
A Sally Beauty spokeswoman confirmed to Breitbart News that fewer than 25,000 credit card records were compromised as a result of the breach. She added, however, that the number of affected individuals is not certain at this point and that “we don’t know if there has been actual abuse of that 25,000.”
A statement released by Sally Beauty on Tuesday said, “As experience has shown in prior data security incidents at other companies, it is difficult to ascertain with certainty the scope of a data security breach/incident prior to the completion of a comprehensive forensic investigation,” the statement said. “As a result, we will not speculate as to the scope or nature of the data security incident.”
The hair supply company also claimed the U.S. Secret Service is assisting in the early steps of the investigation.
According to Sally Beauty’s website, the company collects over $3.6 billion in revenue each year. There are Sally Beauty Supply stores in the United States, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Chile, France, the Netherlands, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Ireland, Spain and Germany.
The recent breach echoes an incident late last year when Target experienced a massive data breach. Although Target still has not yet determined the exact amount of funds stolen, credit and debit accounts of 40 million individuals are thought to have been affected, according to the Dallas Business Journal.
Follow Kristin Tate on Twitter @KristinBTate
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