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News: Credit Card Hack at Chili's - Credit-Land.com

If you stopped by Chili's to grab some ribs or a fajita between March and April 2018, you might want to keep tabs on your credit card statement. Anyone who paid cash is safe, but those who used credit or debit cards may have had their data compromised according to Brinker International, their parent company.

They found out about the breach on May 11, 2018, when they were notified that some of their customers' payment card data was compromised. Once the breach was uncovered, they brought on outside forensic experts to find out exactly how broad this incident actually was and what has occurred. They also informed law enforcement agencies about the breach.

Right now the breach is believed to have occurred between March and April, but they are continuing to investigate the total extent of the event. They do not currently know how many customers have been affected, and they have not posted a list of restaurant locations that were compromised on their website.

It is all about malware

What happened? They believe that malware was employed by cyber thieves to steal the credit and debit card numbers of customers who had eaten at Chili's restaurants. Cyber thieves also stole the names of cardholders, but since Chili's does not gather other kinds of personal information, like birth dates, Social Security numbers or identification numbers, that information was not compromised.

They are also planning on providing customers who have been affected by this cyber theft with fraud resolution and credit monitoring services. When they have that information and other data is available, Chili's will be posting it on their website for those individuals who may need it.

What to do to protect yourself

Chili's is also providing their customers with additional ways they can protect themselves, including letting them know that it is important to keep an eye on their credit card and bank statements to see if there is any nefarious activity occurring.

If people notice any charges that they did not make they should contact their credit card issuer or bank right away. They also suggest that people consider putting a fraud alert statement on their credit file with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

Putting a security freeze on their credit account is another one of their suggestions. When a security freeze is placed on an account, the individual's information will not be shared with possible creditors. This usually costs $5 unless you are a victim of identity theft.

People who want to get more information on this breach can check this website.