AfterDawn: News

Netflix call center worker fired for stealing credit card numbers

Netflix has confirmed that it has fired a call center worker that was caught stealing credit card numbers from customers of the rental service.

The data theft was discovered on April 4th and the worker was promptly fired.



Says Netflix Senior Counsel Sharon Williamson in a letter to the office of the New Hampshire Attorney General:

The worker accessed over approximately the past two months, without authorization, the credit card information of some Netflix customers who spoke with the individual over the telephone.

Adds head spokesmen Steve Swasey:

We do everything we can to safeguard our members' personal data and privacy, and when there's an issue like this we deal with it swiftly and decisively.

Netflix has only confirmed that two people had their info stolen, but there may be more.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 4 May 2011 19:26

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• 16 comments

• opx4real (unverified)

  haha i was one of them. thats funny. I got my 15 bucks back immediately. Long Live Netflix.

  4.5.2011 19:29 #1

• oneguy

  Wow, first sony with my ps3 and now my netflix...wtf
  

  4.5.2011 22:25 #2

• biglo30

  Some messed up people around these days. Good thing they caught him.

  4.5.2011 23:51 #3

• Lelouch

  Looks like to me there is more problem happening online the hack on the PSN and now Netflix whats next Xbox live, hulu plus, iTunes.
  
  well they will not get my card # tho my info i have put a block on my credit so hope they have fun and card # i have reported them.

  5.5.2011 00:38 #4

• KillerBug

  ...And they promptly admitted it and they are promptly forgiven. Sony should take note.

  5.5.2011 00:47 #5

• TBandit

  Originally posted by KillerBug: ...And they promptly admitted it and they are promptly forgiven. Sony should take note. After reading the stories on the PSN fiasco it doesn't sound like Sony knows what's going on.

  5.5.2011 01:50 #6

• Dmite30

  Originally posted by TBandit: Originally posted by KillerBug: ...And they promptly admitted it and they are promptly forgiven. Sony should take note. After reading the stories on the PSN fiasco it doesn't sound like Sony knows what's going on. they do. its just they dont want to give in to the hacker group we are anonymous. so they act stupid. If they would have left the ps3 alone instead of patching Linux based programs they offered on the ps3 when it came out then none of this would have happened.

  5.5.2011 09:00 #7

• Mysttic

  Quote:Wow, first sony with my ps3 and now my netflix...wtf To be fair:
  
  a) This wasn't a network intrusion
  b) This wasn't 77 millions users affected, it was 2 confirmed, so maybe 50 at worst case scenario.
  c) They got the source of the issue relatively quick and took appropriate measures given the circumstances.
  
  I wouldn't really be concerned about it.

  5.5.2011 09:26 #8

• Memnock

  I use my Paypal for Netflix and iTunes. I like the extra buffer between the merchant and my credit card number and wish everyone took Paypal or something like it instead of credit cards.
  

  5.5.2011 09:59 #9

• Gnawnivek

  Originally posted by KillerBug: ...And they promptly admitted it and they are promptly forgiven. Sony should take note. It's an entirely different case. With Netflix, they caught a bad apple within the company (they hired the person, it's within their rights to reprimand/terminate). With Sony, the bad apple comes from outside and they can't just finger point without more facts.
  

  Peace!

  5.5.2011 10:00 #10

• nonoitall

  Originally posted by Memnock: I use my Paypal for Netflix and iTunes. I like the extra buffer between the merchant and my credit card number and wish everyone took Paypal or something like it instead of credit cards.
  Until someone hacks Paypal. ;-P (Actually I prefer to do the same thing you do, since it does at least reduce the avenues of attack, and most of us need to have a Paypal account anyway.)
  
  The growing frequency and scale of these incidents just highlights a fundamental flaw in the way credit cards currently work. Anyone you give your number to can use it or lose it, to your detriment.
  

  5.5.2011 18:10 #11

• Smacks

  Netflix caught one employee stealing a small amount of data. Not really comparable to all the PSN users affected. Yet Sonys name still comes up like they have something to learn over this.

  5.5.2011 19:35 #12

• Mez

  Originally posted by KillerBug: ...And they promptly admitted it and they are promptly forgiven. Sony should take note. They were never very smart that way.

  5.5.2011 21:27 #13

• Gnawnivek

  Originally posted by Mez: Originally posted by KillerBug: ...And they promptly admitted it and they are promptly forgiven. Sony should take note. They were never very smart that way. If they're any smarter, I think they can get away with murder, forget about taking the hackers to court.

  5.5.2011 21:34 #14

• Jeffrey_P

  Originally posted by opx4real: haha i was one of them. thats funny. I got my 15 bucks back immediately. Long Live Netflix. Dude you have no clue..
  How does it feel to be Donkey punched?
  I cancelled my Netflix account two months ago with good reason.
  Jeff

  5.5.2011 22:37 #15

• BeBold

  Originally posted by opx4real: haha i was one of them. thats funny. I got my 15 bucks back immediately. Long Live Netflix. wow. pretty casual. I hope you also canceled your card!!! Card numbers can be sold over and over and over again. I use paypal but the thought of it getting hacked - since it goes to a checking account is something I can't even let myself think about. I can't pay an extra 30% in interest on everything. I have no choice. I hope if you have not canceled this card that you check it very very closely, until you then just get a new number. This can literally haunt you for the rest of your "cards" life. good luck. I wish honesty would become something we honored again.
  
  I was recently checking out at a store. Theft came up at the register. I said "I don't believe in stealing" and she assumed I meant that I didn't believe that people steal. I said "no, I have a personal code of ethics and I don't believe in stealing". It took her a while to understand what I was saying. Isn't that too bad? She didn't understand having a "personal code of ethics" that was just plain "honesty". Wish folks would talk more about what it means to adopt "honesty" as your personal code rather than make those who steal, and lie and cheat into media heroes almost. Who doesn't know the name "Bernie Madoff"...and all because he doesn't know the meaning of the word "honesty". harumph.

  7.5.2011 10:20 #16