CUNA said Friday it plans to open a data collection website nextweek that will allow credit unions to report their costs incurredto replace credit and debit cards compromised in the data breachthat involved 40 million payment cards used at Target stores fromNov. 27 to Dec. 15.

In the meantime, CUNA is asking credit unions to maintain atally of those fraud costs so they can record the information whenthe website opens.

Also Read: NAFCU Adds Voice to Target Breach Chorus

“As we all know, the Target breach—which has apparentlycompromised millions of credit and debit cards, many of them heldby credit union members—has the potential for creating substantialexpense for credit unions and other financial institutions,” saidCUNA President/CEO Bill Cheney. “We have been in close contactwith the payments processors, getting their take on what hashappened and the impact on financial services providers, especiallycredit unions.

Cheney also said CUNA has initiated discussion with keycongressional contacts about the responsibility of merchants toprotect data and to be accountable for the consequences of databreaches when they occur.

While many credit unions have posted fraud alerts on theirwebsites and social media sites, some cooperatives are issuing newcredit and debit cards for thousands of members or were forced to close card accounts.

The $694 million, 55,256-member Bay Federal Credit Union inCapitola, Calif., has reissued new payment cards for 5,000 memberswho may have been among the millions affected by the Target breach,according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

“Our contact center is helping any members that call in withissues,” Tonee Picard, Bay FCU's executive vice president and chiefdevelopment officer, told the local newspaper Thursday. “To date,we have not seen significant fraudulent transactions.”

According to the West Hawaii Today newspaper, the $378 million,42,575-member Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union in Kailua Konahad to close Visa credit and debit card accounts for about 2,000members.

Out of an abundance of caution, the credit union decided toclose the accounts without first notifying members. That decisionwas made because it was taking too long to call each member, TriciaBuskirk, vice president of corporate development and marketing,told the newspaper.

In Eau Claire, Wis., the $1.3 billion Royal Credit Union said Monday in an e-mail to members that6,458 member cards—1,219 credit cards and 5,239 debit cards—wereamong those compromised and there might be more, according to CUNA.The credit union is replacing the cards, which will take 18 to 21days. Members can use their current card until the new card isreactivated.

The $8.2 billion Golden 1 Credit Union in Sacramento, California'ssecond-largest credit union, said about 67,000 of its 650,950members have been affected by Target's payment card breach.

“Golden 1 is proactively replacing all potentially impactedcards,” said Donna Bland, Golden 1 president/CEO. “The safety andsecurity of our members' accounts is a top priority for us.”

Meanwhile, the Federal Trade Commission reported that scammersclaiming to be Target are sending out phony emails to attempt totrick consumers into giving their personal information.