Hacker steals huge credit card database

December 13, 2000
Web posted at: 10:29 AM EST (1529 GMT)

(CNN) -- A hacker unsuccessfully attempted to extort money from an
online credit card company after breaking into its Web site and taking
thousands of credit card numbers, according to news reports. 

The unidentified criminal managed to steal 55,000 credit card numbers from Creditcards.com, 
The New York Times reported Wednesday. 

The FBI is investigating the case, a company spokesman said. 

A person close to the investigation said the intruder contacted the company after
breaking into the site and published the data on the Internet after a demand for
money was rebuffed, the Times reported. 

The Creditcards.com spokesman told CNN.com
that by Wednesday those sites had been taken
down. 

The Los Angeles, California-based company offers e-commerce services to
merchants that provide online transactions. People can also apply for credit cards
through the site. 

Creditcards.com's Web site lists clients that include the online fitness site
Premier Solutions, Rock the Vote, Christian Concert Authority and Spy Gate. 

The spokesman said the break-in took place four months ago and that the
company had been aware of it for some time. 

"We notified our merchants by letter and reassured them that everything was
secure. This wasn't something that just recently happened. We haven't been
dragging our feet," he said. 

The Creditcards.com case is one of several recent attempts to extort money
from Web sites by threatening to reveal their most sensitive information.