For many of us, the holiday season means our credit card bills are piling up nonstop, but the recent security breach at Target could have some shoppers worried.

Shopping carts sit inside a Target store
Scott Olson, Getty Images
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About 40 million credit and debit cards could have been affected by the breach which occurred just before the holiday season started. The store said the stolen data included names, card numbers, expiration dates, and security codes.

While the retail chain isn't the first to have an incident of this kind -- it follows TJ Maxx/Marshalls in 2007 and Sony in 2011 -- it's still disturbing for some New Jerseyans.

"It makes me very worried because it's like, that's my money, and I don't want it in somebody else's hands," said one shopper who spoke with Townsquare Media NJ on Thursday.

However, even the possibility of a security breach is not enough to dissuade many other shoppers, most who say they are tied to their plastic.

"I use the card, and as far as cash goes, there's never enough," said a Union Beach woman, though she did express concern over how easy it can be to have personal information stolen these days.

"It's so easy to go into the Internet and get people's information," the woman said. "You have a telephone number, you have their address, you can look at their house on Google."

The breach at Target affected all major card brands, but not online purchases.

While many credit card companies, banks, and stores will work with victims of identity theft or fraud, ultimately the onus is on the cardholder to oversee his or her account. For many, that means keeping dibs on credit scores and statements.

"You have to, because you never know in this day and age," said a shopper in Hazlet. "Things do happen, and there is so much fraud."

Target Corp. advises customers to check their statements and report suspicious charges to their credit card companies, as well as calling Target at 866-852-8680.

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