People pass by a Whole Foods store in New York City, U.S., August 28, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc’s (AMZN.O) Whole Foods Market on Thursday said payment card information has been stolen from taprooms, restaurants and other venues located within some of its stores.

The upscale grocer, which Amazon recently purchased for $13.7 billion, said it uses a different point-of-sale system for its roughly 450 U.S. stores. That system was not involved in the data hack, the company said.

Whole Foods said the Amazon.com systems do not connect to the affected systems at Whole Foods and that Amazon.com transactions also were not involved.

More than 40 Whole Foods stores sell beer on tap. The company did not immediately say how many restaurants are in its stores.

Whole Foods said it has launched an investigation into the hack, obtained the help of a leading cyber security forensics firm, contacted law enforcement, and is taking appropriate measures to address the issue.</s>There's a war going on in retail which no store is safe from.

Amazon.com, Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN)'s newly acquired Whole Foods Market just became the latest victim of the cybercrime offensive that's also hit shops like Target Corp (NYSE: TGT) and Home Depot Inc (NYSE: HD) recently.

Whole Foods announced discovery of the hack in a press release issued Thursday afternoon. The release revealed payment card information at certain venues (e.g. taprooms and full table-service restaurants located within some Whole Foods stores) was accessed without being authorized.

Both the primary checkout system of Whole Foods Market stores, as well as the systems of parent company Amazon, were said to have been unaffected. The grocer has contacted law enforcement and is conducting its own investigation.

Not divulged were details of how many customers were affected, when the first instance took place, or when exactly the company became aware.

Amazon could not be immediately reached for comment.

Related Link: There Have Been Some Notable Cybersecurity Breaches In 2017

© 2017 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.</s>Shopping at Whole Foods might have cost customers more than just overpriced avocados.

The popular grocery chain, which Amazon bought for $13.7 billion in June, warned customers Thursday that thieves stole payment card information at several of its stores. The cyberattack hit Whole Foods' taprooms and restaurants, not stores' primary checkout lines, the company said.

These in-store taprooms and restaurants use a different payments system than the regular Whole Foods checkout. The hack didn't spread to Amazon's payment servers because they're not connected to Whole Foods' stores, the company said.

Point-of-sales attacks often target popular chains. Fast food joints like Chipotle and Wendy's have been hit in the past, with hackers stealing customer credit card information. Cybercriminals often look for easy targets to make quick cash, and restaurants have shown they're simple to hack.

Whole Foods has 449 stores in the US and more than 40 sell beer on tap. It's unclear how many restaurants Whole Foods has.

"While most Whole Foods Market stores do not have these taprooms and restaurants, Whole Foods Market encourages its customers to closely monitor their payment card statements and report any unauthorized charges to the issuing bank," the company said in a statement.

Whole Foods didn't respond to a request for comment on how many people are affected and which stores were hacked.

The grocery chain said it's working with a cybersecurity forensics firm and law enforcement to investigate who is behind the attack.

It's Complicated: This is dating in the age of apps. Having fun yet?

Tech Enabled: CNET chronicles tech's role in providing new kinds of accessibility.</s>Have you eaten at or enjoyed an adult beverage at Whole Foods this year? If you paid with a credit card, your information might have been leaked. Whole Foods is investigating a possible credit card breach at some of its stores.

Whole Foods revealed Thursday that it had recently “received information regarding unauthorized access of payment card information.”

The company says that the possible breach is centered on its taprooms and full table-service restaurants located inside some stores.

While Whole Foods did not specify how many customers were affected by the breach or how long the hack lasted, Consumerist has reached out to the company for additional information. We’ll update this post if we hear back.

Whole Foods notes that customers who purchased groceries from the company are not at risk, as its primary store checkout systems use a different point of sale system.

“When Whole Foods Market learned of this, the company launched an investigation, obtained the help of a leading cyber security forensics firm, contacted law enforcement, and is taking appropriate measures to address the issue,” the company said in a statement.

For now, the investigation is ongoing, and Whole Foods will provide updates as it learns more.

Whole Foods, which was purchased by Amazon for $13.7 billion earlier this year, notes that Amazon.com systems do not connect to its own. To that end, transactions on Amazon.com are not impacted.</s>Bad news for those who have dined or had drinks at Whole Foods: the Amazon-owned organic grocery store chain on Thursday disclosed a security breach that may have compromised your credit card information.

In a statement, Whole Foods said it "recently received information regarding unauthorized access of payment card information used at certain venues such as taprooms and full table-service restaurants located within some stores." Whole Foods did not specify when the breach occurred or how many customers are affected.

On the plus side, Whole Foods said the affected venues use a different point of sale system than the store's primary checkout systems. So, if you have only purchased groceries from Whole Foods, your payment card information should not be at risk due to this breach. Amazon.com transactions are also unaffected.

The company said it is "taking appropriate measures to address the issue." As soon as it discovered the breach, Whole Foods launched an investigation into the matter, contacted law enforcement, and brought in "a leading cyber security forensics firm" to help.

Whole Foods said its investigation is "ongoing," and promised to provide updates as it learns more. In the meantime, those who think they might be affected should closely monitor their bank accounts.

"While most Whole Foods Market stores do not have these taprooms and restaurants, Whole Foods Market encourages its customers to closely monitor their payment card statements and report any unauthorized charges to the issuing bank," the company wrote.

The breach comes after Amazon last month completed its $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods. Amazon recently lowered its prices on "a selection of best-selling" Whole Foods products and announced that Prime will soon become the grocery chain's customer rewards programs.</s>The major American grocer bought recently by Amazon, Whole Foods, has been hit by a breach of payment card information across a number of its outlets.

World Foods has said that the stores impacted have restaurants on site and because of this an alternate checkout system.

Since locating the breach, the company has reportedly been working with a cyber security forensics company to investigate, while also working with the police.

It has been made clear that Amazon was not impacted by the breach as it does not have any direct connections to the affected systems.

In a statement on the incident, the Whole Foods said: “Whole Foods Market recently received information regarding unauthorized access of payment card information used at certain venues such as taprooms and full table-service restaurants located within some stores. These venues use a different point of sale system than the company’s primary store checkout systems, and payment cards used at the primary store checkout systems were not affected.”

Databreaches have become so damaging for the reputation of organisations that a prompt, open and robust reaction is essential. World Foods appears to be attempting this with its swift announcement and cybersecurity reaction.

“The company’s investigation is ongoing and it will provide additional updates as it learns more. While most Whole Foods Market stores do not have these taprooms and restaurants, Whole Foods Market encourages its customers to closely monitor their payment card statements and report any unauthorized charges to the issuing bank,” the World Foods statement said.

The recent Equifax databreach that exposed 143 million sets of personal information has resulted in the stepping down of the CIO the CSO and now the CEO, due to the weak response to the colossal breach. Many are now calling for businesses to take a risk management approach to cybersecurity, as they do for numerous other aspects of an organisation.</s>The grocery chain, which was acquired by Amazon for $13.7 billion in late August, announced Thursday it "recently received information regarding unauthorized access of payment card information."

People who only shopped for groceries at Whole Foods should not be affected, according to the company. Only venues such as taprooms and table-service restaurants located within stores — which use a different point-of-sales system— were impacted.

"When Whole Foods Market learned of this, the company launched an investigation, obtained the help of a leading cyber security forensics firm, contacted law enforcement, and is taking appropriate measures to address the issue," Whole Foods said in a statement on Thursday.

"The company's investigation is ongoing and it will provide additional updates as it learns more," the statement continued. "While most Whole Foods Market stores do not have these taprooms and restaurants, Whole Foods Market encourages its customers to closely monitor their payment card statements and report any unauthorized charges to the issuing bank."

Whole Foods added that no Amazon.com purchases would be impacted in the security breach.</s>Whole Foods Market is investigating a credit card hack after receiving information about unauthorized access of payment card information.

In a statement Friday, Whole Foods said the card information was used at certain venues such as taprooms and full table-service restaurants located within some stores.

Whole Foods says those venues use a different sale system than the company’s store checkout systems and payment cards used at primary store checkout systems were not affected.

The company is encouraging its customers to monitor their payment card statements and report any unauthorized charges on their cards.

Transitions on Amazon.com have not been impacted.</s>And the hacks just keep on coming.

Whole Foods, one of the country’s most popular grocery chains, is facing a credit card security breach involving its taprooms, restaurants and other in-store venues.

The company released a statement Thursday saying hackers had targeted “point of sale systems” — which are the machines that customers use to swipe or insert their cards — in the attempt to steal data.

“Whole Foods Market recently received information regarding unauthorized access of payment card information used at certain venues such as taprooms and full table-service restaurants located within some stores,” the statement said, explaining that those who shopped for groceries were likely not affected.

“When Whole Foods Market learned of this, the company launched an investigation, obtained the help of a leading cyber security forensics firm, contacted law enforcement, and is taking appropriate measures to address the issue.”

Thursday’s announcement makes Whole Foods, which was recently acquired by Amazon, the latest big name to suffer a cybersecurity breach this year — following hacks at Equifax, the SEC, Wendy’s and Chipotle, among others.

Just this week, the drive-in restaurant chain Sonic revealed that it, too, had been targeted by hackers in the very same way that Whole Foods was hit.

The cybersecurity blog, KrebsOnSecurity, reported potential breaches at several Sonic restaurants via point of sale systems, with millions of credit and debit card numbers possibly being stolen.

Wendy’s and Chipotle were both hacked in similar ways, as well, according to experts.

“The company’s investigation is ongoing and it will provide additional updates as it learns more,” Whole Foods said in its statement. “While most Whole Foods Market stores do not have these taprooms and restaurants, Whole Foods Market encourages its customers to closely monitor their payment card statements and report any unauthorized charges to the issuing bank. The Amazon.com systems do not connect to these systems at Whole Foods Market. Transactions on Amazon.com have not been impacted.”

While Whole Foods did not provide any details about the locations that were affected, there are more than 40 stores that sell beer on tap. It’s unclear, though, how many restaurants or other venues there are.</s>Amazon.com Inc's Whole Foods Market on Thursday said payment card information has been stolen from taprooms, restaurants and other venues located within some of its stores.

LOS ANGELES: Amazon.com Inc's Whole Foods Market on Thursday said payment card information has been stolen from taprooms, restaurants and other venues located within some of its stores.

The upscale grocer, which Amazon recently purchased for US$13.7 billion, said it uses a different point-of-sale system for its roughly 450 U.S. stores. That system was not involved in the data hack, the company said.

Whole Foods said the Amazon.com systems do not connect to the affected systems at Whole Foods and that Amazon.com transactions also were not involved.

More than 40 Whole Foods stores sell beer on tap. The company did not immediately say how many restaurants are in its stores.

Whole Foods said it has launched an investigation into the hack, obtained the help of a leading cyber security forensics firm, contacted law enforcement, and is taking appropriate measures to address the issue.
Whole Foods Market, recently acquired by Amazon, announces hacking of payment card information from some of its stores.