A recent security breach that placed an estimated 22 million credit and debit cards at increased risk of fraud has trickled down into western Nevada County.

Randy Reynoso, president of Placer Sierra Bancshares of Sacramento, parent of the bank, said Thursday that just "a couple of hundred" of the bank's 144,000 customers have been hit by hackers.

Although he did not release the exact number of those customers in Nevada County, at least one Grass Valley resident said he has been contacted about his Visa debit card being compromised. The card will be canceled and replaced.

"It's a small portion of our customer base, but it's a big problem nationally," Reynoso said. "We proactively called them. It wasn't just a letter."

The problem came to the attention of authorities when a rogue program was discovered in the computer system of CardSystems Solutions, a Phoenix firm that processes credit card transactions for businesses that accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discovery cards.

Three major banks with branches in western Nevada County didn't respond to The Union's calls seeking comment Thursday, and Michael Behn, senior vice president of Citizens Banks of Nevada County, said the bank doesn't discuss such matters.

"If we had any customers that were involved in that type of situation, we would contact them immediately and rectify the situation as quickly as possible," he said.

Reynoso said that aside from the inconvenience of being without a debit or credit card until a new one arrives, Placer Sierra customers won't be harmed by the security breach.

Visa card holders are covered by the company's fraud protection policy. "If there is any fraud, Visa will reimburse them immediately," Reynoso said.

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To contact staff writer George Boardman, e-mail georgeb@theunion.com or call 477-4236.