ATLANTA — One Georgia woman told Channel 2′s Justin Wilfon the hackers are using her app to buy food in Maryland.
“Terrible. Absolutely horrible,” said Sharon Barber.
She says hackers broke into her Chick-fil-A app this week, loaded it with hundreds of dollars from her checking account and then seemingly ordered half of Chick-fil-A’s menu.
“They’ve spent a $100 so far,” said Barber. “And there’s about a $100 left on it.”
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Barber says she feels helpless watching the charges rack up on her app from her home in Augusta as the hackers order whatever their heart desires at two Chick-fil-A restaurants in Maryland.
“No matter how many times I change the settings, no matter how many times I change my password, they still are able to hack into my account,” said Barber.
She’s one of countless Chick-fil-A customers across Georgia and the country, who say their Chick-fil-A accounts were hacked this week.
The Atlanta-based company calls the activity on their app “suspicious and fraudulent”, and is encouraging victims to call their Chick-fil-A Cares hotline.
“I waited over an hour to talk with someone,” said Barber. “And when I did, they just kept re-assuring me that my bank will give me back the $200 that was stolen.”
But that can be a lengthy process.
That’s why Channel 2 consumer advisor Clark Howard says if customers want to use a business’s app, they should link it to their credit cards, which make it easier to dispute the charges.
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“Key thing with any app that you have on your phone, never, never, ever, not ever tie it into a debit card,” said Howard. “If that app is ever breached, that debit card is a direct tie-in to your checking account and the money you need to live on and pay your bills is gone!”
Chick-fil-A told us this week they’re committed to protecting their customers’ data.
But customers say they’re frustrated with hackers using their money for chicken sandwiches.
In a recording on the Chick-fil-A Cares hotline the company said they’re investigating the issue.
“We’re investigating an issue with our internal fraud team. While we are working on resolving this issue, we recommend updating all websites, apps or accounts that use the same password – with new and unique passwords, including a new unique password for your Chick-fil-A one account.”
— Chick-fil-A Cares hotline recording
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