Hacker group targets Dollar Tree; company disputes breach

American discount variety store chain Dollar Tree has refuted claims made by a hacker group that it breached the company’s internal network and stole confidential data.

 

Recently, the INC Ransom ransomware group claimed it infiltrated Dollar Tree’s internal network and stole 1.2 TB of sensitive and personal data. To prove the authenticity of its claims, the group shared samples of the stolen data, which reportedly included passport scans and excerpts from Dollar Tree’s press release announcing its acquisition of 99 Cents Only store leases.

 

 

 

In response to the hacker group’s claims, a Dollar Tree spokesperson told Recorded Future News that the company is aware of the allegations but believes the group actually targeted 99 Cents Only Stores — a separate discount retail chain that filed for bankruptcy last year and has since ceased operations.

 

“The files referenced in these claims appear to involve former 99 Cents Only employees. Dollar Tree’s involvement with 99 Cents Only Stores is related to the purchase of select real estate lease rights following their closure.

 

“We did not acquire their corporate entity, systems/network, or data. Any allegation of Dollar Tree’s involvement is inaccurate,” the spokesperson said.

 

99 Cents Only once operated nearly 400 stores across four states before filing for bankruptcy in April 2024 and closing all locations by June. Just before the shutdown, Dollar Tree acquired rights to 170 store leases in a deal approved by a Delaware bankruptcy court. The company also obtained 99 Cents Only’s North American intellectual property and selected in-store assets, according to a press release.

 

In fact, emails sent to addresses associated with 99 Cents Only Stores bounced back, and the company no longer has an active website.