BROCKTON, Mass. – HarborOne Credit Union here has raised the ire of number of groups and received media attention after some of its members’ Visa debit cards were breached and it urged all of its members to contact their local congressman and urge that laws be changed so that retailers are liable for the cost of replacing cards.
Several hundred members’ cards were affected by the breach and had to have their cards replaced. Many of the members of HarborOne live in the district of Rep. Barney Frank, soon to be the outgoing chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.
The Boston Herald reported that in response to the letter to members from HarborOne, that John Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, said, “Are they actually using this as a lobbying tactic? It’s a real questionable tactic. It’s extremely anti-consumer.”
Hurst said the financial industry should bear the cost of such breaches, as it created the electronic payments system and it profits from it.
