Appliance Chain Fined for Recording Data
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Howard’s Appliances will pay $15,000 and stop recording customers’ personal information on credit card slips under an agreement that Orange County prosecutors announced Wednesday.
In response to a complaint, the Orange County district attorney’s office sent an undercover investigator to a Howard’s outlet.
The investigation found that workers were writing information such as driver’s license numbers, addresses or telephone numbers on credit card slips. Putting such information on the slips puts consumers at risk for identity theft and is illegal, authorities said.
The company, based in San Gabriel, has Orange County stores in Santa Ana, Huntington Beach, La Habra and Laguna Hills.
