Credit card data breach at Philadelphia, New Jersey restaurants

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A number of restaurants in the Philadelphia and New Jersey area have been affected by a credit card data breach, Landry's, Inc. and Golden Nugget Hotels and Casinos announced Tuesday.

The companies began an investigation in early December when they were made aware of suspicious activity regarding credit cards that were legitimately used in some of their locations.

They say the investigation shows criminals were able to install a program on credit card processing devices that was designed to search for data from the magnetic strip.

Stolen information could include the cardholder name, card number, expiration date and internal verification code.

The companies say locations were affected at different times during one or both of the following periods: from May 4, 2014 through March 15, 2015 and from May 5, 2015 through December 3, 2015. In addition, a small percentage of locations also include the period from March 16, 2015 through May 4, 2015.

The affected locations in our area are:

-Golden Nugget - Parking Atlantic City, NJ 6/19/2015

-Golden Nugget - Banquets Atlantic City, NJ 5/5/2015 to 12/3/2015

-Golden Nugget - Spa & Salon Atlantic City, NJ 5/4/2014 to 12/3/2015

The breach has affected restaurants nationwide including the restaurant Yak & Yeti inside Disney World's Animal Kingdom.

The companies say they will be contacting those customers they can identify as having used a credit card at an affected location during an at-risk window and whom they have an address or email address.

In a statement, Landry's and Golden Nugget say, "We recommend that you remain vigilant to the possibility of fraud by reviewing your payment card statements for any unauthorized activity. You should immediately report any unauthorized charges to your card issuer because payment card rules generally provide that cardholders are not responsible for unauthorized charges reported in a timely manner."

Anyone with questions should call (877) 238-2151, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Online: Landrysinc.com