Pulse TV pulsetv.com Pulse TV data breach: what happened and what to do
Penn LLC, which does business as Pulse TV, reported a payment card breach after malware hit its website vendor. The exposure window started November 1, 2019. A later filing counts 227,769 people. Card details were at risk.
View all 13,115 breaches- Breach date
- Nov 2019
- Affected
- 227,769
- Data exposed
- Names, Physical addresses, Email addresses, Credit cards
- Last updated
Pulse TV is an online store run by Penn LLC. In January 2022 it notified customers that payment card details entered on its website may have been taken.
What happened
Pulse TV first heard of possible card fraud from Visa in March 2021 and was alerted again in November 2021. It later said malware on a web server run by its website software vendor, Freestyle Solutions, captured card data as customers checked out and saved it to a file on the vendor's systems, out of Pulse TV's access. The window of potential compromise started on November 1, 2019, and the company's investigator later put its end at February 2, 2022. The California Attorney General's list carries the notice.
The first notice counted about 201,000 people. A later supplement to the Maine Attorney General raised the total to 227,769. That later figure is used here. Outside coverage cites slightly different totals.
What was exposed
The notices focus on payment card information. Some summaries also list names, addresses and email addresses entered at checkout. Passwords aren't mentioned in the sources used.
What to do
A stolen card number can be used for online purchases until the card is replaced. If you ordered from Pulse TV between late 2019 and early 2022, ask your card issuer for a new card number, then go through statements from that period for charges you don't recognize. Dispute anything odd quickly, since card networks set time limits.
Because checkout details often include your address and email, watch for phishing that mentions a recent order.
What to do if you were in it
- 1
Ask your card issuer for a new card number
If you paid Pulse TV with a card between November 2019 and early 2022, request a replacement. Turn on transaction alerts in your banking app.
- 2
Go through old statements
Look back to late 2019 for charges you didn't make. Report them to your issuer. They can dispute them and block the card.
- 3
Watch for order-themed phishing
Don't click links in messages about a Pulse TV order, refund or account. Open the site yourself.
- 4
Check whether your email or phone is in this and other breaches
Run a free scan at Serus. Serus monitors breach databases and the dark web and alerts you when your data appears. It can't remove data from a breach, but it tells you what to do next.
Frequently asked
Was I affected by the Pulse TV data breach?
Pulse TV mailed notices in January 2022 to the customers it identified. If you ordered between November 2019 and early 2022 and got no letter, contact the company.
What was exposed?
Payment card details, and per some summaries names, addresses and email addresses.
How many people were affected?
A later filing with the Maine Attorney General counts 227,769 people.
Should I change my password?
Passwords aren't named in the notices. If you reuse a Pulse TV password elsewhere, change it as a precaution.
Sources
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we'll re-check it.
