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Thu, July 7, 2022 | 07:38
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Credit card `run' triggers chaos
정보유출 은행·카드社 창구 이틀째 혼란
Posted : 2014-01-21 17:06
Updated : 2014-01-21 17:06
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Clients queue in a long line to obtain reissued cards or have their existing cards revoked at the Lotte Card Center in the Lotte Department Store in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, Tuesday. A note reads: 'Customers with waiting numbers from 300 to 400 will have to wait about 4 hours.'/ Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Clients queue in a long line to obtain reissued cards or have their existing cards revoked at the Lotte Card Center in the Lotte Department Store in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, Tuesday. A note reads: "Customers with waiting numbers from 300 to 400 will have to wait about 4 hours."
/ Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Firms inundated with customers looking for reissues, cancellations; websites out of order


By Nam Hyun-woo, Joel Lee


It had all the trappings of a major bank run except that few were withdrawing their money, and the lines that formed were outside credit card companies.

Hundreds, if not thousands, thronged to credit card firms Tuesday to get their cards reissued or cancelled.

In homes and offices, many more people were frustrated in front of computers, not being able to gain access to their accounts because of server overloads.

"I came here to get my card reissued," said a 65-year-old retiree, surnamed Lee, at the Lotte Card Center in the Lotte Department Store in Myeong-dong, Tuesday. Long lines of people waited their turn to speak to an agent, with another staff member trying to maintain order through a loudspeaker. Some said that it took seven hours for them to take care of their business.

"It's national chaos. The incident itself should never have occurred in the first place regardless of any excuses," Lee said.

The cardholders of three credit card firms hit hard by Korea's largest financial data theft case rushed Tuesday to cancel or reissue their customers' credit and debit cards.

Some 20 million people had information stolen from KB Kookmin Card, NH NongHyup Card and Lotte Card.

The data includes 19 items of personal information, including names, phone numbers, credit card numbers, card expiration dates and related bank accounts.

Customer centers of Lotte Card, and branches of KB Kookmin Bank and NH NongHyup Bank, the banking affiliates of KB and NH cards, were packed with clients. The three companies' telephone call centers and websites were also swamped with complaints.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the websites of the three companies, which provided information-leak verification services, remained difficult to access.

At the Lotte Center in Myeong-dong, a 45-year-old housewife said she was there to block use of her credit card because she couldn't verify the precise status of her personal information online and could not get through to any Lotte Card call centers.

Customers criticized the fact that Lotte Card has set up more lines for card-reissuing than cancellations, and its poor customer service was a reflection of how the company shows no signs of regret over the data leak.

Yoon, a 57-year-old teacher who visited the center to cancel her credit card, said, "I am highly disappointed with the customer service of Lotte Card. People who visit here in the afternoon are usually in their 50s and 60s, but the staff members, mostly in their 20s or 30s, are not helping us adequately.

"Lotte could have allocated more people from other departments to make up for the lack of staff here, instead of focusing on selling gift certificates for the Lunar New Year," she said.

Customers of the three card-issuers are concerned that their stolen information could be used in financial scams.

Song Seong-jun, 28, an employee at a construction company who uses NH NongHyup debit cards, expressed anger over the data-theft.

"I accessed NH NongHyup's website on Sunday and found out that all of 19 pieces of personal data were stolen. My card numbers were exposed and they might be used for making fabricated cards and other financial scams," he said. "Since I keep most of my money in NongHyup accounts, I have to cancel my cards, or at least get them reissued," he said.

Oh She-wook, a dentist, 26, showed frustration over the data leak. "I'm not even surprised over information leaks. My personal information was stolen in 2012 when micro-blogging website Cyworld leaked it.

"I have no account at or credit card from KB Kookmin Card, but the card firm said that my information was leaked due to banks' information-sharing," he said.

All 19 items of his personal information were found to have been stolen after he checked his NH NongHyup debit card. He said he called the NH call center, but was unable to speak with a staff member.

The size and damage of the data-theft went public Friday, after the prosecution said on Jan. 8 it had indicted an official of the Korea Credit Bureau (KCB), a Seoul-based private credit-evaluation service provider for financial firms, for stealing customer information from the databases of the three firms.

The official, identified by the surname Park, sold the data to an advertiser, and the information was used for marketing activities.

In reaction, a group of citizens plans to file a class-action suit requesting compensation from the three firms, as well as Park and the KCB.

According to lawyer Son Soo-ho, who will file on behalf of the victims, more than 500 clients have joined the class-action suit.

"I will decide the amount sought in the litigation settlement after discussions with the clients and comparing this with similar cases," Son said. He said will file the suit as early as the end of this month.


정보유출 은행·카드社 창구 이틀째 혼란

사상 최악의 카드사 고객정보 유출 사건으로 인한 고객의 혼란은 21일 오전에도 이어졌다.

구체적인 피해 사실이 알려진 뒤 맞은 두번재 영업일인 이날도 은행·카드사 지점들마다 카드를 해지하거나 사용정지 또는 재발급하려는 고객이 끊이지 않았다.

이날 오전 10시께 서울 소공동 롯데백화점. 지하 1층에 롯데카드 센터가 있는 이 건물 정문 앞에는 영하 7도의 강추위에 눈발이 날리는 날씨인데도 고객 50여명이 몰려 있었다.

오전 10시15분께 이 숫자는 100명 이상이 됐고, 시간이 갈수록 인원이 급속히 늘어났다. 강추위에 기다리는 시간이 길어지자 고객들의 불만은 더욱 커졌다.

백화점 개장 시간을 4분 앞둔 10시26분께는 고객들이 안내요원들을 뿌리치고 백화점 안으로 진입했다. 고성과 욕설이 오가는 가운데 한 고객은 '잘못은 너희가 해놓고 뭐하는 거냐'고 호통을 쳤다.

지하 1층의 롯데카드 센터에서 고객들이 형성한 줄은 어림잡아 500m가 넘었다.

국민카드와 농협카드는 상대적으로는 상황이 괜찮았지만 평소보다는 훨씬 고객 수가 많았다.

오전 10시1분 국민은행 남대문지점. 주변이 고층사옥으로 둘러싸인 상업지구여서 근무 시간에는 비교적 한산할 것이라는 예상과 달리 대기인 수는 32명에 달했다.

안내 직원은 '평소보다는 고객이 매우 많지만 대기표만 받고 그냥 간 분도 있으니 너무 오랫동안 기다리지는 않을 것'이라고 설명했다.

직원들은 대기표를 받아든 사람에게 '미리 작성하시면 시간이 절약될 것'이라며 국민카드 재발급 신청에 필요한 서류를 나눠줬다.

남모(65)씨는 옆에 앉은 고객에게 자신의 유출 정보가 적힌 종이를 보여주며 '다 털렸어. 불안해서 살 수가 없다'며 허탈하게 웃었다.

지점에 따라서는 전날보다 상황이 호전된 곳도 있었다.

농협은행 태평로금융센터는 대기 고객이 평소보다 조금 많은 수준이었다.

이 센터는 창구를 방문한 고객들에게 메모지를 기념품으로 나눠주기도 했다.

전날 카드를 재발급 받으려다 대기 시간 때문에 발길을 돌리고서 오늘 다시 이 센터를 찾은 직장인 김모(42)씨는 '오늘은 창구 대기 시간이 10여분에 불과했다'고 말했다.

이태섭 센터장은 '점포 문을 닫기 전까지는 좀 늦게 오는 고객들에 대해서도 서비스를 제공하며 비상근무 체제를 유지하고 있다'고 설명했다.

한편 이 날도 카드사들의 홈페이지는 접속이 원활하게 이뤄지지 않았다.

이날 오전 9시30분께 롯데카드, 농협카드 홈페이지에서 유출 여부 확인은 가능했으나, 재발급 신청을 클릭하자 사용자가 많아 접속이 지연된다는 안내문구가 떴다.
Emailnamhw@ktimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
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