The Landry’s Inc. restaurant chain has reported a customer data breach with unauthorized charges at some of its more than 500 properties.
Houston-based Landry’s on Thursday said it has tightened security with an enhanced payment system to better encrypt card data.
The company did not immediately say how many restaurants were affected or when or where the data breaches took place. Landry’s says the company received reports of unauthorized charges on certain payment cards that were legitimately used at eateries.
Landry’s advises customers who used the company’s payment system to monitor their card accounts.
Landry’s has more than 40 brands, including Landry’s Seafood, Chart House, Saltgrass Steak House, Claim Jumper, Morton’s The Steakhouse, McCormick & Schmick’s and Rainforest Cafe.
Frequently Asked Questions from Landry’s Inc:
What information may have been affected?
Our investigation is ongoing, but based on reports to date it appears that this issue may involve the data contained in the magnetic stripe on the back of payment cards. Information in the magnetic stripe generally includes a cardholder's name, card number, expiration date, and internal verification code.
What can I do if my card might be affected?
Landry's advises you to monitor your account statements for unauthorized charges. You should immediately contact the bank, credit union or other financial institution that issued your payment card if you see any unauthorized charges. The phone number to call is usually on the back of the card. Individuals that timely report unauthorized charges to the bank that issued the card are generally not responsible for such unauthorized charges. Accordingly, we encourage all consumers to follow good practices by regularly reviewing their payment card accounts and timely reporting unauthorized charges. Payment card companies typically guarantee that cardholders will not be responsible for unauthorized charges that are timely reported.
How many customers were affected? What is the timing of the attack?
We are working non‐stop to complete the investigation. Even though we will not know the scope of this incident until then, we will work vigilantly to address any potential issues that may affect our customers.
What have we been doing to enhance the security of our payment card systems?
Well before we learned of this, Landry's began implementing end‐to‐end encryption at it locations, which means that card data is encrypted when it is swiped and it remains encrypted throughout our system. We began implementing end‐to‐end encryption even before we received these reports and approximately 92% of our locations have been converted.
Will someone steal my identity?
Stolen payment card information is generally used to make fraudulent charges and not for true identity theft. You should inspect your payment card statement regularly and if you suspect your card may have been compromised, you should immediately contact your bank, credit union or other financial institution.