North Country Business Products ncbp.com North Country Business Products data breach: what happened and what to do
North Country Business Products, a point-of-sale provider, found malware on partner restaurants' systems in January 2019. It collected card data between January 3 and January 24, 2019: cardholder name, card number, expiration date and CVV.
View all 13,177 breaches- Breach date
- 3 Jan 2019
- Made public
- 15 Feb 2019
- Data exposed
- Names, Credit cards
- Last updated
Reviewed by Anthon Wansland
Head of Product & Co-Founder
Serus is a privacy company with paid tools to find and remove your personal data. This page is free and based on official sources.
What happened
North Country Business Products supplies point-of-sale systems to restaurants and hotels. On January 4, 2019 it learned of suspicious activity on the networks of some of its business partners. Its investigation found malware on the systems of 142 partner restaurants that collected payment card data from January 3 to January 24, 2019.
According to the company's notice filed with the California Attorney General, the data included the cardholder's name, card number, expiration date and CVV. North Country notified its partner restaurants in writing around February 1, 2019, and issued a media notice around February 15, 2019. The filing said the investigation was continuing. Local news in Arizona and Minnesota named coffee shops, restaurants and hotels among the affected businesses, and the company published a list of affected locations.
The notice doesn't say how many cardholders were affected. Card details like these let criminals make purchases or create counterfeit cards, which is why the fix is on the card side rather than the password side. Names alone feed phishing, so be wary of messages that mention a card or a restaurant visit.
The breach started in January 2019, so a card used at an affected location then has most likely been replaced since. If you still have a card from that period, check old statements.
Sources checked: oag.ca.gov, securityaffairs.com, hospitalitytech.com
Last verified against the official page:
What to do if you were in it
- 1
Check your card statements
Look at card transactions from January 2019 onward for charges you don't recognize, and report any to your card issuer. The FTC says to contact the issuer if you see unauthorized charges.
- 2
Ask for a new card if you used one at an affected location
If your card number could have been collected, your issuer can cancel it and send a replacement. This is the step that makes a stolen number useless.
- 3
Place a credit freeze if you're worried about more than the card
Card data alone doesn't give anyone your Social Security number. If your identity is a concern, the FTC explains how to place a free freeze at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
- 4
Be careful with messages that mention the breach
Treat unexpected emails and texts about your card or a restaurant as suspect. Contact your issuer using the number on the back of your card.
- 5
Check whether your email or phone is in this and other breaches
Run a free Serus scan. Serus monitors breach databases and the dark web and alerts you when your data appears, so you know what to act on.
Official filings
- California Attorney General , filed 15 Feb 2019
Timeline
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The breach happened
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The company made it public
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Reported to the California Attorney General
Frequently asked
Was I affected by the North Country Business Products breach?
Only if you paid by card at one of the affected restaurants or hotels between January 3 and January 24, 2019. The company published a list of affected locations.
What was exposed?
Cardholder name, card number, expiration date and CVV, according to the company's notice to the California Attorney General.
How many people were affected?
The sources found don't give a number of cardholders. They report 142 partner restaurants had malware on their systems.
Should I change my password?
Passwords weren't listed as exposed. Ask your card issuer for a new card instead if your number may have been collected.
Sources
- oag.ca.gov/system/files/NCBP-%20Notice%20of%20Data%20Event-%20CA%20Exhibit%201_0.pdf
- securityaffairs.com/wordpress/81405/cyber-crime/north-country-data-breach.html
- hospitalitytech.com/dunn-bros-coffee-among-brands-impacted-north-countrys-data-breach
- consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-credit-freezes-and-fraud-alerts
- consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/10/have-you-been-affected-data-breach-read
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