It was the first time a specific loss value has been cited since the U.S. data breach was announced June 17.

Information on some 39,000 MasterCard-linked credit card holders and at least 27,000 Visa-linked card holders has been leaked for possible fraud, industry sources and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said.

UCS Co., an affiliate of supermarket chain Uny Co., said five MasterCard-linked cards it issued were illegally used between January and March, running up bills of about ¥400,000, the officials said.

UFJ Card Co. reported 26 cases of abuse totaling ¥5.2 million. Another credit card firm affiliated with a regional bank reported a single case involving ¥190,000. Pocket Card Co. confirmed ¥1 million in losses from about 10 cases.

Other credit card firms are still investigating, but the losses are likely to rise once Visa International Services reports on its own probe.

The Japan Times Weekly: June 25, 2005
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