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Chick-fil-A customers report fraudulent activity on the chain’s appChick-fil-A customers report fraudulent activity on the chain’s app

Chick-fil-A is investigating reports of fraudulent activity on its mobile app after several customers claim their data was hacked.

Alicia Kelso, Executive Editor

January 5, 2023

1 Min Read
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Chick-fil-A is investigating reports of fraudulent activity on its mobile app after several customers claim their data, including bank account information, was accessed by hackers.

The chain tweeted a statement claiming that the activity is “not due to a compromise of Chick-fil-A Inc.’s internal systems,” adding that it is working quickly to protect customers’ data. The alleged breach was initially reported by Atlanta news station 11Alive after several customers posted about their experience on a Facebook page called Paulding County Uncensored. Paulding County is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area, where Chick-fil-A is headquartered. There are now over 100 comments related to suspicious activity.

Chick-fil-A’s app has more than 10 million downloads on Google Play and is ranked as the No. 7 most downloaded food and beverage app on Apple’s app store, behind just McDonald’s, Starbucks and Chipotle in the restaurant category.

As consumers – and businesses – become more digital, data breaches have skyrocketed. In Q3 2022, for instance, data breaches globally were up by 70% year-over-year, according to cybersecurity company Surfshark. In the U.S., they were up 14% in Q1 2022 versus the same period in 2021, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center. Restaurants and restaurant adjacent companies have not been immune. McDonald’s was hit by a data breach in 2021, for instance, while DoorDash’s recent breach affected nearly 5 million people.

Related:Restaurants are leaning into data and tech to drive business decisions, improve customer experience

Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]

About the Author

Alicia Kelso

Executive Editor, Nation's Restaurant News

Alicia Kelso is the executive editor of Nation's Restaurant News. She began covering the restaurant industry in 2010 for QSRweb.com, FastCasual.com and PizzaMarketplace.com. When her son was born, she left the industry to pursue a role in higher education, but swiftly returned after realizing how much she missed the space. In filling that void, Alicia added a contributor role at Restaurant Dive and a senior contributor role at Forbes.
Her work has appeared in publications around the world, including Forbes Asia, NPR, Bloomberg, The Seattle Times, Crain's Chicago, Good Morning America and Franchise Asia Magazine.
Alicia holds a degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University, where she competed on the women's swim team. In addition to cheering for the BGSU Falcons, Alicia is a rabid Michigan fan and will talk about college football with anyone willing to engage. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her wife and son.

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