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Chick-fil-A Performs Thorough Investigation after Reported Credit Card Hacks

January 5, 2015         By: Michael Cheng

Chick-fil-A might be the latest major establishment to fall victim to crippling credit card hacks. The company released a statement, urging customers to monitor their accounts after data breaches surfaced from undisclosed branches.

A representative of the popular fast food chain said, “We are investigating reports of potential unusual activity involving payment cards used at a few of our restaurants.”

Rumors about possible security breaches first started in November, but the statements were quickly dismissed due to lack of confirmation.

The reports quickly gained traction after leading financial institutions received an alarming notification about a series of security compromises between Dec. 2, 2013 and Sept. 30, 2014. Several credit card companies traced the faulty transactions to Chick-fil-A locations around the U.S.

Brian Krebs, a member of the online security community, highlighted that the incidents most likely took place in the following regions: Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.

Experts say the incident is moderate, when compared to the security attacks that hit Target.

Fans voiced out their concerns on Twitter after Chick-fil-A mentioned its involvement with top IT firms in a move to tackle the issue as fast as possible. Investigators are linking the attacks to compromised third-party payment systems due to low levels of activity.

When asked about liability for the unlawful acts, the company declared, “Any fraudulent charges will be the responsibility of either Chick-fil-A or the bank that issued the card. If our customers are impacted, we will arrange for free identity protection services, including credit monitoring.”

Analysts warned businesses last year about increased threats on credit cards, as the October deadline for new security standards draws near.

For now, companies that are serious about protecting their customers may need to take an active approach to fraudulent transactions before the regulations are put into effect.