P.F. Chang’s Suffers Data Breach, Thousands of People’s Credit Card Information Stolen
Fans of Chinese-inspired cuisine have reason to look over their shoulder. It’s been reported that on June 9, thousands of debit and credit cards freshly stolen from chain restaurant P.F. Chang’s databanks went up for sale on Rescator, an underground store made infamous last year when it sold millions of credit and debit cards stolen from Target.
Brian Krebs, a security blogger who discovered the Rescator sale, quickly contacted several banks about the stolen cards, and found that each of the newly posted cards had been used at one of P.F. Chang’s location between the dates of March 1 and May 19. What was not as clear, though, was which of the some 200 locations across the country were hit by the possible data breach.
The asian-cuisine chain said that though they haven’t yet been able to confirm that there even was a data breach, P.F. Chang’s “has been in communications with law enforcement authorities and banks to investigate the source.”
“P.F. Chang’s takes these matters very seriously and is currently investigating the situation, working with the authorities to learn more,” said a company statement. “We will provide an update as soon as we have additional information.”
The stolen, financial information can be cloned onto fake cards, which allows criminals to make purchases with others’ accounts until the personal data is rendered useless by either the cards’ issuers, or by consumers who notice unauthorized purchases being made to their accounts.
If you fear that you may be victim of this data breach, keep a close eye on your credit. You’re only allowed to get one free copy of your credit report ever 12 months, so you may want to consider investing in a credit reporting service to keep an eye out for any fraudulent activity. Once you notice any discrepancies, be sure to call the respective financial institution to report the activity.
