In July 2019, Capital One announced that it had suffered a "data breach" when a hacker gained unauthorized access to Capital One's electronic records.
The information that was accessed includes information that was given to Capital One by a customer in order to apply for a credit card at any time from 2005 to 2019. Also, social security numbers, bank account numbers, and transactional details (such as charges or payments on cards) were obtained by the hacker.
Information from approximately 106,000,000 people was compromised. It is not known at this time what the hacker did with the information obtained.
Capital One has said it will notify by mail only those customers whose social security or bank account numbers were compromised.
Capital One not only issues credit cards with the Capital One name on it, but issues "store branded" credit cards. These are credit cards which are able to be used at a particular store or website and usually have that store or website's name on them, but which are actually Capital One cards. Store-branded Capital One cards include Wal-Mart, Neiman Marcus, Cabela's, Menard's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Kohl's, Lord & Taylor, Helzberg Diamonds, Maurice's, and Dress Barn.
If you have applied for a Capital One credit card at any time between 2005 and 2019, or if you have been notified by Capital One that your personal information, social security number, or bank account number were compromised, you should take steps to protect yourself.