Following a security breach that was reported last week, Global Payments, which processes credit, debit, and gift-card payments for merchants and banks, has said that up to 1.5 million card numbers may have been stolen from its database.

The company also said that cardholder names, addresses, and Social Security numbers were not lost in the cyber-theft, which minimizes the risk of identity theft for cardholders. The company said in a statement that it first discovered the breach early in March and notified affected companies "promptly."

If your card number is one of those stolen, you should be notified by your credit-card company. In general, it's smart to review your card activity often and check for charges you didn't authorize; if you find any, notify your credit-card company immediately.

For more tips on protecting yourself against credit-card fraud, see our story More ways to fight fraud on ConsumerReports.org.

Data Breach Sparks Worry [Wall Street Journal]
Up to 1.5M credit card numbers stolen from Global Payments [CNET]