Egghead.Com: Credit Cards Are Safe

Tuesday, January 9th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) â€” Online retailer Egghead.com Monday said that a pre-Christmas hacker attack on its database didn't infiltrate the credit card accounts of its customers.

An extensive audit by security consultants Kroll Associates indicated that Egghead's own internal safeguards disrupted the attempted heist before the credit card numbers could be lifted, the company said.

The Dec. 21 computer break-in at Menlo Park-based Egghead exposed more than 3 million credit card accounts to possible fraud.

Credit card companies have informed Egghead that just 7,500 accounts, or about 0.2 percent of the total contained in the company's database, have encountered potentially fraudulent activity.

Egghead attributed the trouble in the problem accounts to possible credit card theft elsewhere.

Financially troubled Egghead sells computer hardware and software, and other merchandise.