Hundreds of online shoppers are reporting fraudulent charges on their credit cards after recently making a purchase through Rakuten.com, formerly Buy.com.
Japanese retailer Rakuten purchased Buy.com in 2010 and recently rebranded it as Rakuten.com. It’s sort of like Amazon, a marketplace with many vendors where you can buy all kinds of stuff. But some buyers apparently are getting more than they bargained for.
Police said $10,000 total was charged to the credit cards of eight recent Rakuten.com customers for things like gas valves and warehouse time clocks, NorthJersey.com reports. “The victims’ names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth and credit card information were used to open accounts at online equipment suppliers,” the story says.
Nearly 250 others have complained on the Slickdeals.net forums, where users usually post shopping deals, coupons, and money-saving strategies. Victims have started a site called RakutenFraud.com, Slickdeals users say.
A Rakuten representative told NorthJersey.com the company would cooperate with authorities in their investigation, but was unaware of any security breach. The company has asked Slickdeals users to call them, but doesn’t seem to have made any announcement or response to the complaints on its website.
If you believe your personal information has been compromised through Rakuten, let your card company or bank know. You can contact Rakuten at (877) 880-1030, ext. 2095. You should also file an identity theft report with the Federal Trade Commission.
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