First Niagara warns customers of breach

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - If you bank with First Niagara, you'll want to check your account. With only your card number and basic information, such as the personal data that can be skimmed off a card's magnetic strip, a high-tech fraudster can clean out an account in the blink of an eye.

“Our controls are getting better, in traditional stores. So where we see a lot of the fraud moving to, and a lot of the risk moving to, are all of the various online channels, or what the industry calls the 'card not present' channels,” said Sean Brady, of RSA Security Services.

This week, First Niagara Bank notified their debit card customers that MasterCard had detected a security breach in its merchant network that could put some accounts at risk. As a result, the bank will cancel affected debit cards as of November 13, and issue new ones.

Brady says this is an example of how established businesses are adapting to 21st century criminals.