11 charged with stealing 40m credit card numbers

Eleven people have been charged with the theft of credit card details in the biggest ever case of identity fraud.

They are accused of stealing more than 40 million credit and debit card numbers by allegedly hacking into wireless equipment as a part of an international crime ring.

The operation has been described as an "international conspiracy" with information reportedly held on servers in Europe and the US.

Of the 11 charged three are US citizens with the others from Estonia, Ukraine, Belarus and China.

Among the high street retailers targeted by the group were T J Maxx and Barnes & Noble.

"This case highlights our increasing vulnerability to the theft of personal information," US attorney general Michael Mukasey said.

"Cases like these send a clear message to those who might be tempted to abuse our computer networks to steal information and harm law-abiding people and businesses.

"If you do, we will track you down wherever you are in the world, we will arrest you and we will send you to jail."

Investigators have claimed it is "the single largest and most complex identity theft case" ever to result in people being charged.

The case first came to light when it was found credit card details were stolen from the US-owner of TK Maxx. The firm confirmed a breach has seen the details of UK, US and Canadian shoppers' credit and debit cards had been stolen.

Customers who are concerned are advised to seek a copy of their credit report from one of the credit reference agencies and maintain a keen eye on statements for any bogus transactions.