Credit card information may have been obtained or viewed by the cybercriminals

Oct 19, 2013 07:51 GMT  ·  By

Hair care company Ouidad has started notifying customers after its user database was breached by “sophisticated criminals.”

According to the letter sent out to impacted individuals, the breach took place sometime between June 30 and July 4, 2013.

An investigation has revealed that the hackers obtained or viewed information about the transactions completed by customers on ouidad.com. The compromised data includes names, credit card numbers, CVVs, card expiration dates, billing addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and, in some cases, usernames and passwords.

Impacted customers are advised to carefully review their credit card statements for any signs of unauthorized transactions. For users whose usernames and passwords have been accessed, Ouidad has initiated a password reset procedure.

Additionally, these customers are recommended to change their other passwords as well, in case they’ve been using the same one for multiple online accounts.

“Upon learning of this incident, we immediately engaged leading security experts and have already implemented changes designed to protect your information from any further unauthorized access. Ouidad deeply values our relationship and the trust you place in us,” the letter sent out to customers reads.

Those affected by the breach are instructed to obtain a free copy of their credit report from Equifax, Experian or Trans Union.

In addition, the company is providing a free one-year membership in the Equifax Credit Watch Gold and Web Detect identity theft protection program. The service is designed to detect any misuse of personal information.

Instructions on how to sign up for the free service have been provided to all customers. The offer is available until January 15, 2014. In case you’re one of the impacted customers and you have other questions, you can contact Ouidad at the following toll-free number: 888-406-4353.