MEMPHIS, Tenn.—Fred’s Inc. appears to be the latest retailer hit by a data breach, according to security blogger Brian Krebs.
KrebsOnSecurity said the discount general merchandise and pharmacy chain, which operates 650 stores in more than a dozen states, disclosed last week that it is investigating a potential credit card breach.
Krebs stated that it is unclear how many Fred’s locations were affected, but that the pattern of fraudulent charges traced back to Fred’s stores located in in the midwest and south, including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas.
Krebs stated that the food chain, in a prepared statement, said it recently “became aware of a potential data security incident and immediately launched an internal investigation to determine the scope of the issue. We retained Mandiant, a leading independent forensics firm, to examine our data security systems.
“We want to assure our customers that protecting their information is one of our top priorities and we are taking this potential incident very seriously. Until this investigation is completed, it will be difficult to determine with certainty the scope or nature of any potential incident, but we will continue to work vigilantly to address any potential issues that may affect our customers.”