Wendy’s may be the latest in a number of companies with Central Ohio operations that have suffered data breaches in recent years. On January 27, Wendy’s announced that it hired a cybersecurity firm to investigate claims of a possible credit card breach at some of its locations. Initially, the company was notified by its payment industry sources that unusual activity was occurring on payment cards after they were used at certain Wendy’s locations. While Wendy’s has not completed its investigation, the breaches may have occurred late last year.
It is too soon to tell whether the breaches have been contained, how long they occurred, or how many stores were affected. However, the reports of unusual activity came from financial institutions in the Midwest and on the east coast.
Wendy’s, which is based in Ohio, has approximately 6,500 franchise and company-operated restaurants in the United States and 28 countries worldwide. Most of the U.S. stores in operation, are franchises.