Two Arrests May Be Linked to Target Data Breach

Two people were arrested for spending tens of thousands of dollars with more than 90 stolen credit cards in an incident that may (or may not) have been related to the massive Target data breach.

Authorities stopped Mary Carmen Garcia, 27, and Daniel Guardiola Dominguez, 28, of Monterrey, Mexico, as they tried to cross the border into the U.S. at McAllen, Texas with fraudulent cards in tow. According to McAllen Police Lt. Joel Morales, the U.S. Secret Service, ICE and banks affected by the breach linked the pair to the Target scandal, but one official told the Associated Press the arrest was unrelated, a complication befitting the already convoluted Target data breach saga. The AP writes:

A federal official with knowledge of the case said there currently was no connection between the McAllen case and any ongoing investigation into the Target breach, but would not elaborate. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was prohibited from providing details about the investigation. The discrepancy could not immediately be rectified late Monday. Messages left for Rodriguez and his lieutenant Monday evening seeking a response to those comments weren't immediately returned.

If the arrest is, in fact, linked to the breach, it would suggest that the credit card information of the up to 110 million Target customers is being divided among small groups of people using stolen funds to shop across the U.S. If this is the case, authorities can use traditional means to track down those using stolen credit cards, as one security analyst told the LA Times.

Read the full story at TheWire.com.

(Image via Ken Wolter/Shutterstock.com)