Wendy's Investigates Suspected Credit Card Fraud Linked To Security Breach

Wendy's has confirmed that it has hired a private security firm to investigate multiple claims of a possible security breach across a number of its restaurants, which may leave customers vulnerable to credit card fraud.

The news was first reported by KrebsOnSecurity, a website dedicated to issues of online privacy and security, which contacted Wendy's regarding a pattern of fraud on credit cards that had recently been used at various Wendy's restaurants.

"We have received this month from our payment industry contacts reports of unusual activity involving payment cards at some of our restaurant locations," Bob Bertoni, a Wendy's spokesman, told Krebs. "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."

Last month, Landry's, the hospitality group behind restaurants like the Rainforest Cafe, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, and Morton's Steakhouse, was the subject of a national credit card breach that was linked to an outdated data collection system.