P.F. Chang’s said it is investigating claims of a possible security breach that may have compromised thousands of customers’ debit and credit card data. In light of this information, the attorneys at Morgan & Morgan would like to hear from consumers who believe their payment cards may have been fraudulently used after dining at the Chinese-food restaurant chain. To contact us, fill out our free case review form today.
Reports of the possible breach were first reported by investigative journalist Brian Krebs on his blog KrebsOnSecurity.
According to Krebs, thousands of “newly-stolen credit and debit cards went up for sale” on the same underground online store that was used to sell millions of Target shoppers’ payment card information following a data breach last winter.
In his report, Krebs said that several banks whose cards had been listed on the online store confirmed that they were all recently used at P.F. Chang’s.
While the restaurant chain has not confirmed whether it was the victim of a security breach, it is currently working with law enforcement to further investigate these claims.
“P.F. Chang’s takes these matters very seriously and is currently investigating the situation, working with the authorities to learn more,” a spokeswoman for the restaurant told Krebs. “We will provide an update as soon as we have additional information.”
With more than 200 P.F. Chang’s locations worldwide, it is believed that thousands may be at risk for fraudulent charges. Several banks reportedly confirmed having customers’ payment data stolen after being used between March 2014 and May 19, 2014 at P.F. Chang’s locations in the following states:
- Florida
- Maryland
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- Nevada
- North Carolina
While it is unclear how many customers may have been affected by this breach, Krebs reported that the website selling the stolen card data currently has 100 pages with approximately 50 payment cards listed on each page. With this stolen information, thieves can re-create debit or credit cards and use them to buy expensive items, such as iPads and gift cards, that can be quickly resold for cash.
If P.F. Chang’s confirms the data breach, it will join several other big-name retailers recently hit by hackers including Neiman Marcus, Michaels and Sally’s Beauty. In these breaches, criminals installed malware in the stores’ computer systems and obtained payment card data when shoppers swiped their cards to make purchases. To contact us, fill out our free case review form today.
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