Hy-Vee Inc. is investigating unauthorized activity that may have affected payment transactions at fuel pumps, drive-thru coffee shops, and restaurants, including Market Grilles, Market Grille Expresses and Wahlburgers, the company announced this afternoon.
The company, which operates more than 260 stores across eight states, says it has contracted with unnamed cybersecurity firms and notified federal law enforcement and payment card networks at the start of the investigation. The services being investigated have different point-of-sales systems than Hy-Vee grocery stores, drugstores and convenience store interiors, which Hy-Vee believes were not affected. Hy-Vee discovered the activity in late July, a spokesperson told the Business Record.
“Based on our preliminary investigation, we believe payment card transactions that were swiped or inserted on these systems, which are utilized at our front-end checkout lanes, pharmacies, customer service counters, wine & spirits locations, floral departments, clinics and all other food service areas, as well as transactions processed through Aisles Online, are not involved,” the company said in a news release. “Because the investigation is in its earliest stages, we do not have any additional details to provide at this time. We will provide notification to our customers as we get further clarity about the specific timeframes and locations that may have been involved.”