In a sports league? You should know about this cyberattack

In a letter to customers, a sports apparel company announced this week that it has suffered a data breach. Challenger Teamwear, based in Lenexa, Kansas, disclosed the hack in a written statement, saying that criminals had stolen the personal information of many of its customers.

Money expert Clark Howard’s Consumer Action Center obtained the statement sent to Challenger Teamwear customers, who include numerous sports leagues and their participants.

This is what the September 3 email said in part: “As a precautionary measure, we are writing to let you know about a data security incident that may involve your personal information. Today we were made aware that there was an potential cyber incident affecting the www.challengerteamwear.com website, resulting in the potential disclosure of confidential information.”

One consumer whose wife buys sports uniforms for the Leavenworth Soccer Association through Challenger Teamwear told the media that his household was affected by the cyberattack.

Jeff Howards, told news station KSHB in Kansas that his credit card company called him recently to notify him that someone had tried to make some fraudulent purchases with his personal information.

Howards told the station that he got another call from a fraud protection service that told him that “People somewhere opened and were attempting to open four more credit cards in our name and had already made more large purchases of telecommunications equipment.”

CEO of Challenger Teamwear Paul Lawrence issued a written statement apologizing for the data breach.

The letter goes on to say that customers who use Challenger Teamwear, which is a supplier to schools and YMCAs as well, will have to adhere to a new payment process in the near term.

“We have suspended all credit card processing from our website, and any orders now placed on our website will be processed without collecting payment information but will not be shipped until a member of our staff has contacted you directly for payment through a secure alternative channel,” the company said.

Challenger Teamwear data breach: What to do

If you have been affected by the Challenger Teamwear data breach, this is what you should do, according to the company:

• Review your account statements and notify law enforcement of suspicious activity.
• Review your account statements and credit reports closely.

Clark also advocates freezing your credit to protect against data breaches. His Credit Freeze Guide has helped untold numbers consumers to safeguard their personal info.