DUBLIN, Ohio -- Quick-service restaurant (QSR) chain Wendy’s is investigating claims of a possible credit-card breach at some locations, the company first acknowledged in response to questions from data security blog KrebsOnSecurity.com.
Bob Bertini, spokesperson for the Dublin, Ohio-based QSR, said the company began receiving reports earlier this month from its payment industry contacts about a potential breach and that Wendy’s has hired a security firm to investigate the claims.
“We have received this month from our payment industry contacts reports of unusual activity involving payment cards at some of our restaurant locations,” Bertini told KrebsOnSecurity. “Reports indicate that fraudulent charges may have occurred elsewhere after the cards were legitimately used at some of our restaurants. We’ve hired a cybersecurity firm and launched a comprehensive and active investigation that’s underway to try to determine the facts.”
Bertini said it was too soon to say whether the incident is contained, how long it may have persisted, or how many stores may be affected.
“We began investigating immediately, and the period of time we’re looking at the incidents is late last year,” he said. “We know it’s [affecting] some restaurants but it’s not appropriate just yet to speculate on anything in terms of scope.”
"Until this investigation is completed, it is difficult to determine with certainty the nature or scope of any potential incident," the company told the Associated Press. "As always, in line with prudent personal financial management, we encourage our customers to be diligent in watching for unauthorized charges on their payment cards. Generally, individuals that report unauthorized charges in a timely manner, to the bank that issued their card, are not responsible for those charges."
The Wendy's Co. is the world's third-largest quick-service hamburger company. The Wendy's system includes approximately 6,500 franchise and company-operated restaurants in the United States and 28 countries and U.S. territories worldwide.
Click here to view the full KrebsOnSecurity report.
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