It has happened again, another credit card breach at a nationwide chain, this time involving P.F. Chang’s. On June 10th, 2014, P.F. Chang’s learned that they had become a victim of a security breach that involved credit and debit information. The breach is not a nationwide issue and only occurred at select P.F. Chang"s restaurants.
P.F. Chang’s is uncertain when the attack took place, but it is working with the United States Secret Service to clarify when the breach first occurred and more importantly how much data was stolen.
These types of breaches cause huge inconveniences to the company involved and its customers. P.F. Chang’s is urging customers to be on the look out for suspicious activity and to inform their credit card company of any such transactions.
In order to combat further compromises, P.F. Chang’s will begin using manual imprint devices to handle future credit and debit card transactions.
In regards to the incident, Rick Federico, CEO of P.F. Chang’s, issued a statement:
On Tuesday, June 10, P.F. Chang"s learned of a security compromise that involves credit and debit card data reportedly stolen from some of our restaurants. Immediately, we initiated an investigation with the United States Secret Service and a team of third-party forensics experts to understand the nature and scope of the incident, and while the investigation is still ongoing, we have concluded that data has been compromised.
At P.F. Chang"s, the safety and security of our guests" payment information is a top priority. Therefore, we have moved to a manual credit card imprinting system for all P.F. Chang"s China Bistro branded restaurants located in the continental United States. This ensures our guests can still use their credit and debit cards safely in our restaurants as our investigation continues.
We have also established a dedicated public website, pfchangs.com/security, for guests to receive updates and answers to their questions.
Because we are still in the preliminary stages of our investigation, we encourage our guests to be vigilant about checking their credit card and bank statements. Any suspected fraudulent activity should be immediately reported to their card company.
We sincerely regret the inconvenience and concern this may cause for our guests.
If you have dined at a P.F. Chang’s location recently, you may want to contact your credit or debit card company and be on the look out for suspicious activity.
Source: P.F. Chang’s via Krebs on Security | Image via P.F. Chang"s