In 2016, the fast-food chain Wendy’s joined the list of companies hit by data breaches, including Delta Airlines, Yahoo and Facebook. If you used a credit, debit or other payment cards at a Wendy’s fast food restaurant between Oct. 25, 2015, and June 28, 2016, you may be owed some money as part of a proposed class-action settlement following the breach.
Wendy’s first reported that some of their franchise restaurants had unusual payment card activity and that it discovered malware on some systems back in February 2016. The data breach exposed information such as customers’ names, card numbers and other card-related information.
“Wendy’s approach at maintaining the privacy of Plaintiff’s and Class members’ [personally identifiable information (PII)] was lackadaisical, cavalier, reckless, or at the very least, negligent,” the data breach class action lawsuit against Wendy’s read, per Top Class Actions.
The lawsuit also alleged that Wendy’s failed to notify affected customers in a timely manner and underestimated the extent of the data breach. It initially said that the breach only affected 300 of its locations. The company later revised its estimated count, bumping it up to around 1,000 Wendy’s fast-food locales.
Wendy’s denies the lawsuit’s claim that the restaurant failed to protect consumer information in the data breach. However, the chain later agreed to pay $3.4 million to settle the case.
That means that if you had your personal information compromised after using a payment card at one of the affected locations, you could be entitled to some cash. You can find out if you visited one of the affected locations on this Wendy’s site.
How much money you’ll receive depends on the number of people who file a valid claim and the approval of the settlement. Getting the most out of the settlement will require certain documentation, however. This documentation should prove how much the data breach cost you in overdraft fees, identity protection services and other expenses, Top Class Actions explains.
If you believe you were part of the data breach, you should first check to see whether the case includes a location you visited. Then, you must file a claim for inclusion in the settlement. The court will hold a hearing on Feb. 25, 2019, to decide whether to approve the settlement. After that conclusion, there may be still appeals, which could take more than a year.
If you have questions about the proposed settlement, you can call 844-295-8945. You can also read the settlement agreement at this website set up for the case.