Federal privacy head wants breaches reported, Club Monaco latest threat

Following news of a possible breach of privacy at clothing retailer Club Monaco, Canada's privacy commissioner says she will recommend legislation making it mandatory for companies to report security breaches, her office said Friday.

Jennifer Stoddart's spokesperson said that if a company's computers are hacked and dataare stolen, companies are not obligated to make that information public under current legislation.

Club Monaco and RCMP are being helped by a forensic firm to determine if any of their customers' credit card information was taken from its computer system.

Meanwhile, banks and credit card issuers are examining client records for any signs of fraud, according to a report in the Globe and Mail.

A spokesperson for the clothing retailer said investigators haven't found any evidence of a security breach, and that the information being examined doesn't include customer names, addresses or phone numbers.

Owned by Polo Ralph Lauren, Club Monaco has 67 stores across North America. The security issue involves the chain's 28 Canadian outlets, said the report.

Club Monaco was founded by Canadian designer Joe Mimram, who sold the stores in 1999.

Report of the RCMP investigation comes a day after Canadian and American customers of Winners and HomeSense were warned they may have been victims of fraud.

A U.S. banking association warned Thursday that customer information stolen from TJX, the company that owns Winners and HomeSense, was used to make fraudulent debit and credit card purchases in the U.S. and overseas.

Several Canadian banks said they have had no reports of credit card fraud in connection with the TJX breach, but warned consumers to check their accounts.