

Ask HN: How did Target get my email address? - hisabness

Received the message below from target last night. Am wondering how they got my contact info if all I did was use my card in a target store?<p>Dear Guest,
We wanted to make you aware of unauthorized access to Target payment card data. The unauthorized access may impact guests who made credit or debit card purchases in our U.S. stores from Nov. 27 to Dec. 15, 2013. Your trust is a top priority for Target, and we deeply regret the inconvenience this may cause. The privacy and protection of our guests’ information is a matter we take very seriously and we have worked swiftly to resolve the incident.
We began investigating the incident as soon as we learned of it. We have determined that the information involved in this incident included customer name, credit or debit card number, and the card’s expiration date and CVV.
We are partnering with a leading third-party forensics firm to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident and to examine additional measures we can take that would be designed to help prevent incidents of this kind in the future. Additionally, Target alerted authorities and financial institutions immediately after we discovered and confirmed the unauthorized access, and we are putting our full resources behind these efforts.
We recommend that you closely review the information provided in this letter for some steps that you may take to protect yourself against potential misuse of your credit and debit information. You should remain vigilant for incidents of fraud and identity theft by regularly reviewing your account statements and monitoring free credit reports. If you discover any suspicious or unusual activity on your accounts or suspect fraud, be sure to report it immediately to your financial institutions...
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jamesbritt
Are you using a gmail address? I am forever getting E-mail intended for one or
another James Britt who do not know, or do not know how to enter, their own
correct E-mail address.

I've yet to get a Dear Guest security message though.

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hisabness
Yes, I use gmail.

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stonemetal
They probably pay an information broker for the info. It is common for stores
to submit all the information they have about a transaction to someone like
Experian so that they can use "big data" to figure out who you are.

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YoAdrian
Target knows everything about their customers. I'm not even kidding. There's a
whole outline of their data mining in the book "The Power of Habit: Why We Do
What We Do in Life and Business". It's scary.

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RougeFemme
Maybe the company that issued the card provided the email address, assuming
you provided your email address whoever issued your card (Visa/MC/Amex via
your bank/credit union/etc.)

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hisabness
This is what i was thinking too. Will have to review their terms of service to
see if this is allowed.

