Dodge County woman's bank account wiped out due to Target breach

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Shoppers are being warned to check their credit and debit card transactions after retail giant Target announced a massive security breach at its stores -- impacting almost every location in the country.

Target says 40 million credit and debit cards have been compromised, including a woman from Dodge County who says her checking account was wiped out.

"On Black Friday morning I tried to use my debit card at a store and it was refused," said Renee Bauer. "Nothing left in my account. It was gone."

Bauer had made multiple purchases at Target stores in Fond du Lac and Grafton over the past few months, but it wasn't until early December, when she received a call from the fraud division of her bank inquiring about recent purchases in the Chicago area, that she knew something was wrong.

"She said, well, they used your card there and everything is gone," Bauer said.

Bauer believes she's one of the millions of Americans whose credit card information was stolen after transactions at Target. Bauer says her bank identified a transaction from mid-October that may be part of the breach.

Target claims only transactions made between November 27th and December 15th are at risk. Customer's names, credit or debit card account numbers, card expiration dates and security codes are all exposed.

The breach allegedly occurred at Target's point-of-sale terminals and did not affect purchases made online. Target insists the breach has been contained.

Bauer's bank covered her loss but she says the incident is enough to make her think twice when she's at the register.

"To this day now, I am going to start going back to cash," said Bauer.

Target continues to investigate the situation. FOX Business is reporting the Secret Service is also looking into the matter.

If you are concerned your information may have been compromised, you are urged to check your bank statements for any unauthorized purchases.