http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/04/ars-readers-report-credit-card-fraud-blame-sony.ars
If you have used a credit card on a PSN account, watch that card like a hawk. Now if only I could remember which card I used when I bought PixelJunk Monsters... This threat is real and fraud is already happening which seems like a bit more than coincidence...
From the article:
Let's take a look at some of the comments and e-mails that have been sent to us. Some people are just now noticing the issues, while others noticed the fraudulent charges last weekend.
"My American Express card was compromised over the weekend," one commenter stated. "This card sits in a drawer in my house for emergencies, but I did use it once on my PSP for an account. Luckily American Express is very good at notifying me immediately after the first fraudulent purchase."
Another reader e-mailed with a similar story. "About two or three days ago, my bank notified me that I had gotten my own [credit card information] stolen, the one I use for my PSN account, and with it a ticket was purchased through a German airline for nearly $600," she told Ars. "They are still looking into the fraud charge meaning that right now I have a negative $500 in my account, with no good chance that I'll be getting that back any time soon."
Another reader had a similar issue. "I had a call from my credit card company trying to verify a purchase which ended up being fraudulent. Same card I use on Sony's network. They denied [the charge] and issued me a new card," the reader commented. "Might be coincidence, but with the other security gaffes recently, I'm guessing not. Not sure what my opinion of Sony is right now and what my future is with them."
Let's keep this ball rolling! "I also had an attempted fraudulent charge on my American Express card, about $8,000 going to some Japanese store. This all happened about when PSN started having trouble, so I'm betting this had something to do with it," another commenter said. "My advice: if you have your credit card info on PSN, watch your accounts like a hawk. I'm buying pre-paid cards from now on; you know, if I decide to ever spend money on PSN again."
Here's a response to a complaint of fraudulent charges in the comments. "Probably not a coincidence, I had the same thing happen this weekend. I got an Easter Sunday call from American Express about suspicious charges that began Saturday."
There are more, but they're all variations on a theme. All told, two dozen or so people have contacted Ars with reports of fraudulent or suspicious activity on their credit cards. It's still possible that this story simply caused people to take a look at their finances and find unrelated issues, but in many of the reports the credit card companies are reaching out to them with reports of abuse."
