Did you eat at a Shoney’s between December 27, 2016 and March 6, 2017? Did you use your credit or debit card? If so, your personal information may have been captured by malware.
Every day, consumers entrust sensitive information to the businesses they patronize. Accordingly, businesses such as Shoney’s, and the entities they hire to manage and operate their locations, owe a duty to their customers to securely maintain that information in confidence, and they must maintain sufficient safeguards to prevent criminals from accessing that information.
Unfortunately, it appears that Shoney’s may have failed in its duty to maintain the security of its customers’ credit card information. On April 9, 2017, the security website Krebs on Security reported that the information for credit and debit cards used at Shoney’s locations appeared to have been stolen. On April 14, 2017, Best American Hospitality Corp. (“BAHC”) issued a press release taking responsibility for a credit and debit card breach impacting the dozens of Shoney’s corporate-affiliated locations that it operates and manages. BAHC stated that an investigation of the breach revealed “that malware was installed remotely on point of sale equipment that processed payment cards used at some of the restaurants.” A notice from BAHC provides a list of the 37 restaurants in 10 different states believed to have been compromised, along with the specific date the breach began at a particular location.
Any potential data breach should be taken very seriously, as the personal harm that can result is limitless and may include fraud or identity theft. Here, Shoney’s customers’ personal information has fallen into the hands of criminals and may soon be, if it has not already been, used for fraudulent purposes.
Attorneys at Finkelstein, Blankinship, Frei-Pearson & Garber, LLP have successfully brought lawsuits on behalf of data breach victims. We are currently investigating this matter, as well as other data breaches. If you believe that your credit or debit card information may have been captured at an Shoney’s location, please contact us to discuss your legal options.