Wendy's Credit Card Breach Affects Four Manhattan Locations

By Kara Seymour

If you're a fan of Wendy's, you might want to check your credit card statements.

The credit card information of customers who patronized a handful of Wendy's locations in Manhattan going back to December 2015 may be in jeopardy, the company announced Thursday.

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The fast food chain says it has experienced a data breach at several locations nationwide after it was the target of malware. Information targeted by the malware included cardholder name, credit or debit card number, expiration date, cardholder verification value and service code.

The four affected locations in Manhattan are:

• 335 Fifth Avenue (Kips Bay)
• 79 East 125th Street (East Harlem)
• 3939 Broadway (Washington Heights)
• 2121-2123 Third Avenue (East Harlem)

The breach also affected four locations in Brooklyn:

• 1916 Linden Boulevard (East New York)
• 3183 Atlantic Avenue (Ozone Park)
• 505 Utica Avenue (Brownsville)
• 469 Flatbush Avenue (Prospect-Lefferts Garden)

The breach was first reported in February, but authorities with the company discovered last month that additional malware was found. The number of locations involved is now believed to be "considerably higher" than 300, the company said in a news release.

"We are committed to protecting our customers and keeping them informed. We sincerely apologize to anyone who has been inconvenienced as a result of these highly sophisticated, criminal cyberattacks involving some Wendy's restaurants," said Wendy's President and CEO Todd Penegor. "We have conducted a rigorous investigation to understand what has occurred and apply those learnings to further strengthen our data security measures."

The company worked with third-party forensic experts, federal law enforcement and payment card industry contacts as part of its investigation, which found that specific payment card information was targeted by the additional malware variant.

Impacted customers can receive a year of fraud consultation paid for by Wendy's as well as identity restoration services.

If you believe you are a victim of the data breach, click here to contact Wendy's to access information about the fraud consultation and identity restoration services being offered.

Photo Credit: Mike Mozart via Flickr/Creative Commons