Ford Credit computers not hacked

May 20, 2002 The AP is reporting that un authorized inquiries made on at least 13,000 credit reports using Ford Motor Credit pass codes were not the work of hackers, says the company whose computers were broken into.

"It was not a hacking incident. This was an incident where someone obtained Ford Credit's access codes," said Donald Girard, a spokesman for Experian, one of three credit reporting agencies used by the finance arm of Ford Motor Co.

That's unlike hacking, where a person tries different combinations and codes to break into a system, he said.'It's like having the biggest fence with the biggest lock. It doesn't matter. If someone has a copy of the key, they can walk right in," Girard said.

Between April 2001 and February, unauthorized inquiries were made into about 13,000 credit reports, exposing victims to possible identity fraud or theft. About 400 of those reports belonged to customers of Ford Credit, said Rich Van Leeuween, Ford Credit's vice president for global credit management.

"We don't think anyone did this to cause harm to Ford Credit, but it was a crime to get money," said Ford Credit spokesman Daniel Jarvis.

Experian and Ford are working with the FBI