COEUR d'ALENE - Shoppers can now safely use plastic instead of paper at URM-served grocery stores.

URM CEO Ray Sprinkle announced Monday night that the company has finished implementing "enhanced" security measures designed to block the cyber attack that led to widespread card fraud at area grocery stores such as Super 1 and Harvest Foods.

"The investigation will now turn toward identifying what stores were affected and for how long," Sprinkle said in the written statement. "We are also working with law enforcement to apprehend those responsible."

According to the statement, URM was informed on Oct. 31 that a bank had identified fraudulent charges on cards that were used at its member stores. Upon receiving this information, the company began investigating its payment processing systems.

"URM believes that data that is being targeted is 'track data' - data contained in the magnetic stripe on the back of credit and debit cards," Sprinkle said. "This information is typically used to make counterfeit cards."

Sprinkle added that payment information is "generally" used to make fraudulent charges rather than "true" identity theft.

On Nov. 25, URM stores switched to a separate dial-up system to securely process credit and debit transactions, and with Thanksgiving approaching, some locations offered discounts to customers who paid with cash or check. Sprinkle encouraged customers who used a credit or debit card at any URM stores prior to Nov. 25 to continue to closely monitor their accounts for fraudulent charges.

"Groups that steal payment cards from merchants sometimes wait to sell or use the stolen cards," Sprinkle said.

The delay has caused instances of fraud to continue to be reported to local law enforcement, including a Hauser Lake resident who reported seeing multiple fraudulent transactions when she checked the status of her debit card on Monday.

According to a Kootenai County Sheriff's Office incident report, the resident said she shops at Super 1 in Post Falls and had fraudulent purchases made in Nevada and Illinois.

"Immediately report any such charges to the financial institution that issued their card," Sprinkle said. "Major credit card companies have 'zero liability' policies that guarantee cardholders will not be responsible for fraudulent charges."

URM has created a call center with the sole purpose of fielding customer questions about the cyber attack. Sprinkle encouraged customers to call 1-877-237-7408 to learn more about what steps to take to protect their banking information.