FILE - In this Jan. 18, 2008 file photo, a customer signs his credit card receipt at a Target store in Tallahassee, Fla. Target says that about 40 million credit and debit card accounts customers may have been affected by a data breach that occurred at its U.S. stores between Nov. 27, 2013, and Dec. 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Phil Coale, File)
December 19, 2013 - 3:35 AM
MINNEAPOLIS - Target says about 40 million credit and debit card accounts may have been affected by a data breach linked to recent purchases in its U.S. stores.
The chain said Thursday that the accounts may have been impacted between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15.
The discount retailer didn't immediately specify where the affected stores were located except that they were in the United States.
The Minneapolis company said it immediately told authorities and financial institutions once it became aware of the breach and that it is teaming with a third-party forensics firm to investigate the matter.
Target Corp. said that customers who made purchases at its U.S. stores during the impacted period and suspected unauthorized activity should call them at 866-852-8680.
Target has 1,797 U.S. stores and 124 in Canada.
The company has only been operating stores in Canada since March, when it began a long-planned national expansion in Ontario. Target has since opened stores across the country in its first expansion outside the United States.
News from © The Associated Press, 2013