P.F. Chang's investigating possible data breach

NEW YORK - P.F. Chang's says it is investigating a potential breach that may have involved data from thousands of customer credit card and debit cards.

Anne Deanovic, a spokeswoman for P.F. Chang's China Bistro, said in a statement that the company is investigating the matter and working with authorities to learn more.

Security blogger Brian Krebs reported on Tuesday that the credit and debit card information was put up for sale on Monday on a website known for selling stolen card data. Krebs said the cards had all been used at P.F. Chang's locations between the start of March and May 19. It is uncertain how many P.F. Chang's locations may have been involved in the possible breach.

P.F. Chang's was taken private in 2012 by private equity firm Centerbridge partners LP for about $1.1 billion. The Scottsdale, Arizona, company runs its namesake restaurants and Pei Wei Asian Diners.

Thieves stole 40 million credit and debit card numbers from customers shopping at Target stores in November and December. The personal information of about 70 million Target customers was also snatched. Following Target Corp.'s announcement, other companies such as Neiman Marcus, Sally Beauty Holdings Inc. and Michaels Stores Inc. disclosed breaches to their systems.