Do you use Walmart’s Vudu streaming video service? If so, a March 24th burglary at Walmart’s Vudu offices may have exposed you to a greater risk of online identity theft. Vudu reset all user passwords and emailed customers on Tuesday to announce the break-in, where thieves stole hard drives containing Vudu user data.
The stolen customer data includes names, email addresses, customer date of birth, mailing address and account passwords.
Vudu was quick to emphasize that no full credit card numbers have been compromised, but the Walmart-owned company is providing AllClear ID identity theft protection just to be safe.
In addition to the email notifications, Vudu released a special FAQ for customers affected by the break-in. They stated that all passwords have been automatically reset. Users will be instructed to create a new password the next time they login to the Vudu site.
How Vudu Customers May Be At Risk
While Vudu can’t confirm whether any customer data has actually been retrieved from the hard drives, the company acknowledged that customers could receive spam email or phishing emails as a result of the theft. The Vudu FAQ states:
It is possible that you could get spam email, emails asking for personal information, or emails asking you to click on links to other websites. As always, you should never provide personal or account information in response to a call or email claiming to be VUDU (or anyone else) and you should avoid clicking on links in emails you were not expecting.
Additionally, Vudu customers should consider changing their passwords on other, unrelated accounts such as their email or online bank. If you use the same email address and password for multiple sites, one breach can compromise your entire online identity.
(For tips on creating a secure, unique password, watch this Scambook TV video.)
Again, Vudu customers’ credit card information is safe. The company addressed this in their FAQ:
Q. Could someone have gotten access to my credit card information?A. Full credit card information is NOT stored on our systems. Only the last four digits of card numbers are stored.
The company also assured its customers that the risk of identity theft is minimal because there were no social security numbers or complete credit card information stored on the stolen hard drives.
What You Should Do if You Joined Walmart’s Vudu Service Before March 24
As stated on their company website, customers who joined Vudu after the March 24th break-in don’t need to worry about their privacy, although they may still be prompted to reset their passwords.
If you joined Vudu before March 24th, however, you should change your online passwords and consult your Vudu Account Information. This will confirm your complimentary enrollment in AllClear SECURE identity theft monitoring. The FAQ explains the program’s benefits:
If you need help to protect your identity, the team at AllClear ID is standing by. AllClear Investigators will do the work to help you to recover financial losses, restore your credit and ensure that your identity is restored. A dedicated case manager will work with creditors, credit bureaus, law enforcement, state/federal agencies and any pertinent third party to help you to restore your identity and credit.
You should also keep an eye on your account for any fraud. If you see suspicious activity, call Vudu at 1-855-968-8838 or email [email protected] for help.
Are You a Walmart Vudu Customer?
Do you use Walmart’s Vudu service to stream video? If so, are you concerned about this data breach? Let us know.
See Also
Identity Theft Alert: Adobe Privacy Breach was 3 Times Worse than Estimated
Over 40,000 Arizona Patients at Risk of Credit Card Fraud and Identity Theft
What Should You Do if Your Identity is Stolen? 3 Important Tips for Identity Theft Damage Control
Don’t assume that the only info that was compromised was Walmart.com’s Vudu customers. I had an identity theft on 05/03/2013 that almost has to be a Walmart employee or the result of a hack and quite frankly I would not be surprised in the least if it ultimately turns out that a Walmart employee sent themselves, a family member, or a friend two $200 birthday electronic gift cards with my banking info. Trying to get them to actually quit lying and do their jobs has been a long and formidable task.
Hello,
I actually called the Walmart.com number to place an order , a crib and a doll for Stepdaughter who is having a baby. Wanted the gifts to be sent to Walmart in her town.. Over the phone a Rep helped me out because online was not working … asked for my card number to pay and everything fine. The Stepdaughter got her gifts and picked them up. Now week later by chance, we go online to review our bank account and low and behold….That rep has been using our bank card to buy lots of nice things and send them to 5 different locations In other states…. I know her name , and know it has to be her ….because usually if someone steels your identity…they will buy all over the place….! All these things over a thousand dollars worth…are being purchased from Walmart .com…… I will never shop there again ….!! ever…… that lady will burn in hell, for what she put us thru and still going thru….!!! The strange thing though , she asked for my card number and never used it….. she somehow got my husbands card number and that seemed impossible Well with some thinking figured out she probably got one of my numbers wrong and then looked online and saw that a year earlier my husband purchased one item and his last four digits stay online …..she probably just used that and can’t go anywhere else without knowing the full number…..!! Because funny how every purchase for 6 days has been only at walmart …the bank is watching and caught another one also put stopped it…filed police report also …what a crook and Walmart you better watch your employee.