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Democratic lawmakers called for a congressional inquiry into the hacking of credit and debit card data of Target customers.

Retailer Neiman Marcus said that thieves stole some of its customers' payment card information and made unauthorized charges over the holiday season.

Ginger Reeder, spokeswoman for Dallas-based Neiman Marcus Group Ltd., said in an email that the retailer had been notified in mid-December by its credit card processor about potentially unauthorized payment activity following customer purchases at stores, said AP. On Jan. 1, a forensics firm confirmed evidence that the upscale retailer was a victim of a criminal cyber-security intrusion and that some customers' credit and debit cards were possibly compromised as a result, said AP.

Reeder wouldn't estimate how many customers may be affected but said the merchant is notifying customers whose cards it now knows were used fraudulently. Neiman Marcus, which operates more than 40 upscale stores and clearance stores, is working with the Secret Service on the breach, said AP.

"We have begun to contain the intrusion and have taken significant steps to further enhance information security," Reeder wrote.

A California escrow firm that was forced out of business last year after a $1.5 million cyberheist is now suing its former bank to recoup the lost funds.

A Utah law firm has filed a class action lawsuit against Target, alleging the retailer owes no less than $5 million in damages for its recent data breach.

When it comes to surveillance, making an investment to protect the small business’s assets is a must, and it can help business owners reap unexpected rewards.

A fake ATM was found behind a real one in a Bank of Brazil branch in Curitiba, Brazil.

Shoppers who used credit cards or debit cards at Target between November 27 and December 15, 2013 may have been hacked.

Facebook, Wal-Mart and other companies planning to use facial-recognition scans for security or tailored sales pitches are working to build the rules for how images and online profiles can be used, according to Newsday. The U.S. Department of Commerce will start meeting with industry and privacy advocates in February to draft a voluntary code of conduct for using facial recognition products, and the draft will be ready by June.

The retail industry will lose an estimated $8.76 billion to return fraud this year, and $3.39 billion during the holiday season alone. Overall, 5.8 percent of holiday returns are fraudulent, up slightly from 4.6 percent last night.

Cyber threats are the “new normal” for the financial services industry, according to Booz Allen in its annual list of the “Top Financial Services Cyber Security Trends for 2014.”