Target's Christmas meltdown isn't over yet. On Friday the retailer announced that names, mailing addresses, phone numbers and email addresses for up to 70 million customers were also stolen as part of a data security breach that left the store scrambling to woo back shoppers at its busiest time of the year.
Last month Target announced roughly 40 million credit and debit card accounts were stolen in the massive security heist, causing headaches for shoppers at the peak of the Christmas shopping season.
Today Target issued a statement saying the theft of customers' personal information is not a new breach but was discovered as part of an ongoing forensic investigation.
"I know that it is frustrating for our guests to learn that this information was taken and we are truly sorry they are having to endure this," said Gregg Steinhafel, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Target. "I also want our guests to know that understanding and sharing the facts related to this incident is important to me and the entire Target team."
In an effort to provide Target customers who may be red with anger with a little peace of mind, the store is offering one year of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection to all guests who shopped in a U.S. store. Customers will have three months to enroll in the credit monitoring program.
Additional details on the program will be made public next week.
Meanwhile, Target released its fourth quarter sales report showing weaker-than-expected sales figures since the data breach announcement December 19, though improvements in the last several days have already been made.
Target Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President John Mulligan said he was disappointed in the store's 2013 performance but remained focused on the stolen accounts and personal information of shoppers.
"In light of the recent data breach, our top priority is taking care of our guests and helping them feel confident in shopping at Target," Mulligan said. "At the same time, we remain keenly focused on driving profitable top-line growth and investing our resources to deliver superior financial results over time."
To learn more about the security breach go to:
target.com/databreach
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