What was initially thought to be a mere 5% of Wendy’s fast-food locations hit by the criminal minds that put your good credit at risk, has now expanded to impact at least 1,025 nationwide stores – at least 34 of them located in Pennsylvania.
Wendy’s is placing blame for the breach on an unnamed third-party that serves franchised Wendy’s locations, stating a service provider having remote access to the compromised cash registers got hacked. Sound familiar? It’s all too reminiscent of the Target and Home Depot breaches from not that long ago.
What to do if your card was used at one of the impacted locations
Wendy’s is recommending you remain vigilant for incidents of fraud and identity theft by reviewing credit and debit card statements and monitoring your credit report for unauthorized activity. To assist, they are also offering one year of complimentary fraud consultation and identity restoration services to anyone who may potentially be impacted.
While this is a typical response to a company’s data breach, although most have included credit monitoring, is it enough? Yes, be vigilant. Yes, monitor your credit report. However, your information may not be used for months or even years later.