Some Hawaiian Airlines Bank of Hawaii MasterCard holders received emails this week about a data breach involving an undisclosed retailer.
The card, issued by Barclays Bank Delaware, lets users earn miles on Hawaiian Airlines.
“The security of your Hawaiian Airlines Bank of Hawaii MasterCard may have been compromised as a result of a recent data breach at a merchant location,” the email from C. Walker, Barclays vice president, said. “We’re taking action now to help protect your account. Please remember, with $0 fraud liability protection, you’re not responsible for any unauthorized transactions that you report to us.”
A customer service representative for Barclaycard said only those who visited a specific merchant will be issued new cards. She did not know which merchant had the data breach or how many people were affected. A Bank of Hawaii spokesman also had no information about the breach.
H&M aims for fall opening in Kapolei
H&M, officially known as Hennes & Mauritz AB, announced this week that it will open its new Kapolei location this fall. The 26,000-square-foot store will be part of the $500 million Ka Makana Alii shopping center now under construction.
The location will be the second in Hawaii for H&M, which entered the market with a Waikiki store in March 2014.
The retailer will offer clothing for both men and women, as well as separate “store within a store” sections for accessories, sport apparel, maternity and its plus-size line, H&M+. The Kapolei location will also carry H&M’s children’s collection for newborns and 9- to 14-year-olds.
Victims of taxpayer hack top 700,000
WASHINGTON >> The IRS says the number of taxpayers whose information might have been stolen by computer hackers now exceeds 700,000 — more than double the agency’s previous estimate.
The tax collecting agency says 390,000 more taxpayer accounts might have been compromised than the 334,000 it warned about a year and a half ago. The breach was first discovered in May.
The sensitive information can be used for identity theft or to claim fraudulent tax refunds.
The thieves accessed a system called “Get Transcript,” where taxpayers can obtain tax returns and other filings from previous years.
Oscars commanding record prices for ads
Despite calls for an Oscars boycott over an all-white slate of acting nominees, advertisers are estimated to have shelled out $1.9 million to $2 million for a 30-second spot on the awards show telecast Sunday night, according to Kantar Media.
That’s more than the $1.8 million they paid last year and about three times the cost of an ad during last year’s Golden Globe Awards.
Others, like General Motors Co.-owned Cadillac, have locked in multiyear price contracts, saying the glamorous event will continue to deliver the brand’s target audience.
U.S. economic reports show improvement
WASHINGTON >> The U.S. economy got a double dose of good news Friday. Economic growth in the final three months of 2015 didn’t slow as much as previously estimated, and consumers roared back to life in January, spending at the fastest clip in eight months.
The Commerce Department said that consumer spending increased 0.5 percent last month, the best showing since May. In a separate report, the government said the gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic health, grew at an annual rate of 1 percent in the fourth quarter.
ON THE MOVE
The Honolulu Community Action Program, a private nonprofit agency that helps low-income families and individuals achieve self-reliance, has announced theseappointments:
>> Erin Basuil is HCAP’s new head start program manager. She has been a head start teacher, assistant teacher and head start parent.
>> Tekawitha Iese is HCAP’s head start family advocate mentor. She started with HCAP in 2006 as an assistant teacher, becoming a family advocate in 2008. She waspromoted to Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment and Attendance in 2015.
***
‘Ekahi Health System has named the following program nurse case managers for the ‘Ekahi Healthcare Center at Waterfront Plaza’s Ornish Program:
>> Blair Grant, a registered nurse, was a clinical transitions specialist case manager at Healthways Hawaii and an ER nurse with Altres.
>> Alice Jeffries has held registered nurse positions at Healthways Hawaii, Castle Medical Center, Kona Community Hospital and in Arizona at Mountain Vista MedicalCenter and Chandler Regional Medical Center.