that's when store officials say as many as 40 million accounts were compromised. two million chase debit card holders that shopped during that time are told they can only withdraw $100 on their debit cards on any one day, and limit total purchases to $300 a day. >> chase said this is a precaution to protect customer accounts from criminal activity. >> chase is the grinch that stole christmas from families all across america. the reality is they are doing it to protect themselves and holding people's money hostage. >> reporter: a target spokeswoman telling abc news the company has activated more fraud protection and answering customer questions adding, "our customers need to be vigilant, and we are working to report issues." an all-out effort to salvage a holiday nightmare. aditi roy, abc news, los angeles. >> so scary for consumers. very interesting, some web security experts say the hackers infected electronic cash registers and may have had help from the inside. >> so scary.