Stolen T.J. Maxx numbers being used

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Fraudulent purchases using credit- and debit-card data stolen from cut-price retailer TJX, the owner of T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, have surfaced in several states and in such faraway places as Hong Kong and Sweden, the Massachusetts Bankers Association said Wednesday.

The thefts are the first signs of such fraud since the Framingham, Mass., company disclosed last week that its computer systems - storing the personal and financial data from millions of customers - had been breached.

Stores in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. were exposed to the breach, said TJX.

A spokeswoman for the company would only say that "substantially less than millions of credit card holders" were affected and that the company found out about the breach in mid-December.

The card data had also been used to make purchases in Florida, Georgia and Louisiana, according to Massachusetts banks.

So far almost 60 banks have told the MBA that they've been contacted by card companies about compromised cards, but the group says the number is likely to grow as less than half of its 205 member banks have made a report to the group.

Visa, Mastercard and Discovery all told CNN last week that they are closely monitoring the situation and that cardholders have zero liability for fraudulent purchases made on their accounts.

TJX is one of the largest retailers to suffer a hacking attack in recent years. The company operates more than 2,500 stores under such chains as T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, Bob's Stores, HomeGoods and A.J. Wright.

TJX was not immediately available for comment.

The company has established a special helpline for its customers who have questions about the situation. Customers may call toll-free at 866-484-6978.

Shares of TJX (Charts) fell 0.7 percent on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday. Among other major clothing retailers, Federated Department Stores Inc. (Charts), owner of Macy's, saw its stock drop 1.2 percent by noon, giving back gains from Wednesday, while Kohl's Corp. (Charts) was down 0.76 percent.

13 charged with fraud in US Foodservice case

Fired ad head strikes back at Wal-Mart