Fidelity sued over stolen details of 8.5 million customers

FLORIDA - Fidelity National Information Services (FNIS) and subsidiary Certegy Checks Services face a California class-action suit for negligence over a data breach exposing the personal data of about 8.5 million consumers. Certegy's clients include Amazon.com, TJ Maxx, Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, Sears and OfficeMax. Florida-based Certegy holds a large customer-information database for the guarantee and verification of cheques. The findings come only weeks after the similar losses of customer data by Monster.com.

Certegy first estimated about 2.3 million records were compromised, but that figure has since risen to 8.5 million in filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

A senior Certegy database administrator misappropriated millions of credit card, bank account and other confidential personal information. The ex-employee allegedly downloaded and sold on the information to data brokers for use in marketing rather than identity theft or fraud.

The law firm representing the state of California, San Francisco-based Girard Gibbs, which does not seek specific damages, alleges FNIS did not adequately notify consumers and that the companies failed to monitor and supervise activities of employees entrusted with personal information. Data breaches this year at FNIS and Monster.com could cost around $230 million and $130 million, respectively.