Oceanside CA- The California Department of Motor Vehicles issued a statement, on Saturday, saying that it was investigating a potential security breach of its credit card processing services.
“The Department of Motor Vehicles has been alerted by law enforcement authorities to a potential security issue within its credit card processing services. said, Armando Botello, Public Information Officer of the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
Brian Krebs, the security blogger who broke the Target security breach story reports on krebsonsecurity.com, that an alert, sent privately by MasterCard to financial institutions this week, did not name the breached entity but said the organization in question experienced a “card-not-present” breach — industry speak for transactions conducted online. The alert further stated that the date range of the potentially compromised transactions extended from Aug. 2, 2013 to Jan. 31, 2014, and that the data stolen included the card number, expiration date, and three-digit security code printed on the back of cards.
“Five different financial institutions contacted by this publication — including two mid-sized banks in California — confirmed receipt of the MasterCard notice, and said that all of the cards MasterCard alerted them about as compromised had been used for charges bearing the notation “STATE OF CALIF DMV INT”.” Krebs reports.
The CADMV statement reads: There is no evidence at this time of a direct breach of the DMV’s computer system. However, out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of protecting the sensitive information of California drivers, the DMV has opened an investigation into any potential security breach in conjunction with state and federal law enforcement.
In its investigation, the department is performing a forensic review of its systems and seeking information regarding any potential breach from both the external vendor that processes the DMV’s credit card transactions and the credit card companies themselves.
Protecting the identity and security of our customers is our highest priority and we fully understand the potential impact any breach of security can have. The department has implemented heightened monitoring of all DMV website traffic and credit card transactions. We will immediately notify any affected DMV customers as quickly as possible if we find any issue. DMV customers are also encouraged to closely monitor their credit card statements and transactions for any fraudulent or unusual activity and report it to their credit card company immediately.
DMV customers can continue to pay with cash, check, or money order in person at their local DMV office. “We will continue to provide consumer updates on our website www.dmv.ca.gov as we gather more factual information.” said, Armando Botello.
The CADMV had 10,337,586 online transactions in 2012, the latest reported year.

What if Identity Theft and Fraud Happens to You?

The DMV has a fact sheet in case you are a victim of identity theft or identity theft. Identity theft and identity fraud are two of the fastest growing crimes in the United States. These crimes occur when someone uses a person’s identifying information, such as a driver license, birth date, and/or social security card number, without authority, to commit fraud.
Californians with questions about fraud or identity theft can access important information on through this DMV Identity Fraud Factsheet. This brochure provides identity theft victims with important information and resources. You can read or download the PDF here [Link]