Brooklyn, N.Y. – Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement on reports that Target failed to fully disclose the extent of a security breach that allowed hackers to obtain credit and debit card information for forty-four million consumers who visited the store this holiday season.

In addition to credit and debit card information, the breach of security also unlawfully disclosed personal identification numbers (PINs) that could be used to withdraw money with the cards, increasing the risk of identity theft for consumers. Target had initially claimed that PINs had not been compromised.

“The millions of people who shopped at Target trusted the company to maintain the privacy of their credit and debit card information, information that in the possession of organized criminals could have serious consequences for their bank account balances and credit scores. Target has a responsibility to uphold the public trust, by informing customers of the full extent of the security breach and attempting to limit the harm that has already occurred,” said Congresswoman Clarke, the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity in the House of Representatives.

“I am therefore disappointed to learn that Target initially failed to provide customers with the full information required to protect them from identity theft. I ask the company to conduct an investigation of this matter, in collaboration with state and federal law enforcement authorities, and to develop policies to prevent such failures of security in the future.”

U.S. Representative Yvette D. Clarke is a member of the House Committee on Small Business, Ethics, and Homeland Security, where she is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies. She represents many neighborhoods in central and southern Brooklyn, NY which include Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Gerritsen Beach, Madison, Midwood, parts of Park Slope and Flatlands, Prospect Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Sheepshead Bay, and Windsor Terrace.