Hannaford Bros. supermarket chain has contained an intrusion into its computer network system that resulted in the theft of 4.2 million customer credit and debit card numbers, the company announced Monday.

Hannaford identified the security breach Feb. 27 after receiving reports of unusual credit card activity from credit card companies, according to a Hannaford spokesman.

Credit card companies also notified banks in the area of the security breach, which occurred between Dec. 7 and March 10, according to Chris Pinkham, the president of the Maine Association of Community Banks.

Nearly 2,000 cases of fraud have been reported in connection with the incident.

The information, stolen during transmissions of card authorizations, was limited to card numbers and expiration dates, according to a Hannaford spokesman. The stolen data did not include personal information, such as names and addresses.

“The fact that personal information was not collected doesn’t make the situation any less regrettable, but the scope of harm is less,” said the spokesman.

While the situation is concerning, the Hannaford spokesman said, he does not believe business at the supermarket chain will be affected.

“Nothing like this has ever happened before,” he said.

Several customers at the Westbrook Hannaford supermarket said they had heard about the theft, but it wouldn’t stop them from shopping at the store. As Westbrook resident William Rodgers loaded freshly-purchased groceries in the back of his car, he said he’d just used his debit card – that the breach didn’t concern him because even if someone used his information he figured he’d get his money back, anyway.

“It’s going to happen time after time, to business after business,” Rodgers said, “as long as they have people who like to steal.”

Hannaford is working with law enforcement and information technology security experts to identify the cause of the breach. The U.S. Secret Service was contacted by Hannaford and is investigating, according to agency spokesman Ed Donovan.

The Secret Service investigates matters regarding the payment and financial systems of the United States, including multiple types of fraud, according to the agency’s official Web site.

Pinkham said while some banks may choose to re-issue all debit cards if they notice the occurrence of fraud, it’s probably not necessary for people to get a new debit card. In addition, customers will not be held financially responsible for any fraud that is confirmed to be part of the the breach.

“My best advice is that if people are nervous, they should contact their banks,” Pinkham said, adding people should be monitoring their bank and credit statements as well.

Hannaford Bros. Co. is based in Scarborough and operates 165 Hannaford supermarkets and 106 Sweetbay supermarkets in Florida. Other independent retailers that carry Hannaford products were affected by the security breach. Both chains are owned by Delhaize Group of Brussels, Belgium.

Hannaford is advising customers to review their credit and debit card statements. Questions regarding the incident may be answered at Hannaford’s customer service line at 866-591-4580.

Nearly 2,000 cases of fraud have been reported in connection with a security breach at Hannaford supermarkets that compromised credit and debit card numbers and expiration dates.

Hannaford Bros. supermarket chain has contained an intrusion into its computer network system that resulted in the theft of 4.2 million customer credit and debit card numbers, the company announced Monday.

Hannaford identified the security breach Feb. 27 after receiving reports of unusual credit card activity from credit card companies, according to a Hannaford spokesman.

Credit card companies also notified banks in the area of the security breach, which occurred between Dec. 7 and March 10, according to Chris Pinkham, the president of the Maine Association of Community Banks.

Nearly 2,000 cases of fraud have been reported in connection with the incident.

The information, stolen during transmissions of card authorizations, was limited to card numbers and expiration dates, according to a Hannaford spokesman. The stolen data did not include personal information, such as names and addresses.

“The fact that personal information was not collected doesn’t make the situation any less regrettable, but the scope of harm is less,” said the spokesman.

While the situation is concerning, the Hannaford spokesman said, he does not believe business at the supermarket chain will be affected.

“Nothing like this has ever happened before,” he said.

Several customers at the Westbrook Hannaford supermarket said they had heard about the theft, but it wouldn’t stop them from shopping at the store. As Westbrook resident William Rodgers loaded freshly-purchased groceries in the back of his car, he said he’d just used his debit card – that the breach didn’t concern him because even if someone used his information he figured he’d get his money back, anyway.

“It’s going to happen time after time, to business after business,” Rodgers said, “as long as they have people who like to steal.”

Hannaford is working with law enforcement and information technology security experts to identify the cause of the breach. The U.S. Secret Service was contacted by Hannaford and is investigating, according to agency spokesman Ed Donovan.

The Secret Service investigates matters regarding the payment and financial systems of the United States, including multiple types of fraud, according to the agency’s official Web site.

Pinkham said while some banks may choose to re-issue all debit cards if they notice the occurrence of fraud, it’s probably not necessary for people to get a new debit card. In addition, customers will not be held financially responsible for any fraud that is confirmed to be part of the the breach.

“My best advice is that if people are nervous, they should contact their banks,” Pinkham said, adding people should be monitoring their bank and credit statements as well.

Hannaford Bros. Co. is based in Scarborough and operates 165 Hannaford supermarkets and 106 Sweetbay supermarkets in Florida. Other independent retailers that carry Hannaford products were affected by the security breach. Both chains are owned by Delhaize Group of Brussels, Belgium.

Hannaford is advising customers to review their credit and debit card statements. Questions regarding the incident may be answered at Hannaford’s customer service line at 866-591-4580.

Nearly 2,000 cases of fraud have been reported in connection with a security breach at Hannaford supermarkets that compromised credit and debit card numbers and expiration dates.