Blue TTop

ECS was recently hacked. And, they were not PCI compliant - i.e. credit card numbers were not encrypted.

Apparently, a few people have received letters in the mail (see picture below). Others report not being notified. If you do business with ECS, you should closely monitor your CC account.



I personally won't buy from ECS due to failure of ECS non-OE items (suspension and brakes) in Audi community.

ilko

Thanks for posting this. I've purchased parts for my Audis from them several times. I've been using Paypal to pay for my orders.

MielsOnWheels

I got one of these lettters too

Blue TTop

Paypal is the way to go. I saw a post on QuattroWorld where a customer's card was charged $1,400 as a result of ECS being hacked.

EMBPilot

Crap!
thank you for posting this. I've purchased several orders from them recently for my VW. need to go check.

After this I'd rather not use them again, who are good alternatives?

ilko

For OEM parts there's always genuineaudiparts.com. I've found their prices to be quite competitive. Only issue is that they are on the wrong coast so it takes a while for the parts to arrive. I haven't ordered VW parts from them but I think they are the extension of a VW/Audi dealership and can get them for you.

Europaparts.com is also a good vendor, they are in Elizabeth and orders arrive quickly. Although you'll probably be paying sales tax with them.

ECS generally has slightly higher prices but most of the parts I've ordered from them have been in stock and they ship quickly.

CorrdoBrit

+1. Get all my Audi parts here. Unbeatable pricing.

User 122821

I have to wonder about their security since ECS tuning has had several credit card issues over several years according to VW and Audi forum postings.

example:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...cs+credit+card

EMBPilot

great info, thanks ilko

Stealth 993

I got one as well. Used to use them when I had my Audi. Just got a set of brakes for my MINI from them. Sadly, this is not the first time this has happened to ECS. A few years ago, people CC's were being charged for parts they never ordered.

How embarrassing.

TYNUSKT

This isn't the first time this has happened with ECS if my memory serves me correct.

Richard C2S

Thanks for this heads up. The thread also has caused me to wonder how many Porsche owners on Rennlist also have an Audi. Seems like a pretty common combination.

ECS Tuning

Forum Members:

We value our relationship with you and we look forward to serving your future needs. Regrettably, we would like to inform you that between May 6th and May 10th, 2012, unauthorized access by an unknown third party concerning customers' personal information associated with pending and previously shipped orders occurred. This breach affected less than 3.0% of the ECS Tuning customer base. We have taken prompt action to secure the system to prevent any further compromises.

Please be assured that ECS Tuning Incorporated is taking this matter very seriously. We have worked diligently with merchant services to investigate the unauthorized activity and have identified and secured the method of unauthorized access. We have notified the credit card companies and have provided them with information they have requested so they can notify the banks that issued the affected credit cards. We have also filed a case with the local Wadsworth, Ohio Police Department (Case# 21205162) and are cooperating with their investigation. We believe we were one of many companies targeted during this timeframe.
We have implemented the following to better secure our customer information: ECS Tuning has integrated PayPal’s Payflow Pro to add additional security to the ECS checkout process and removed the storage of credit and debit cards for any length of time regardless of order status. In addition to already meeting PCI Compliance standards, we have added additional layers of security to ensure our customer privacy, such as scanning all inbound and outbound traffic in conjunction with additional security software. With these enhancements, we are confident ECS Tuning is protecting your customer information above industry standards.

We want to also describe certain steps that you can take to protect yourself against identity theft. First, we have included instructions on how you can contact the three major credit bureaus to place a 90-day fraud alert on your account, inquire about any unusual activity on your accounts, and request a free credit report. We also suggest that you carefully review all bills and account statements you may receive over the next several months, and report any suspicious activity to the financial institution of the account at issue. If you think that your personal information is being improperly used in any manner, you can also contact local law enforcement to file a police report and contact your state Attorney General and/or the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-ID THEFT (877-438-4338). Additionally, the FTC's Web site at www.ftc.gov/idtheft has information to help individuals guard against and deal with identity theft.

We value and appreciate your business. We regret this situation and any inconvenience or concern it may have caused you. ECS Tuning is committed to maintaining the security and privacy of customer information and taking all reasonable measures to prevent future breaches.
If you have any further questions/concerns, or if you would like to share details with ECS Tuning to aid in the documentation of this breach, please send me a PM so I can send your contact information directly to our Customer Service Manager.

Thank you for your time,

ECS Tuning

EMBPilot

That's a lot of words to say "oops sorry bout' that".

Reddy Kilowatt

If that was all they said, you'd be right.