San Francisco Sandwich Shop Target of Identity Theft (CA Penal Code 530.5)

Many people around the nation were made aware of Chef Tom Colicchio’s family of restaurants, including ‘wichcraft, a handcrafted sandwich shop that began in NYC and has a popular location in San Francisco’s South of Market area, due to his appearances as a judge on the television program ‘Top Chef.’  Patrons of the restaurant are accustomed to good service, but many will experience a surprise when they receive their next credit card bill, the store’s records have been hacked.  Anyone who purchased a sandwich or other fare at the S.F. location of ‘wichcraft between August 11^th and October 2^nd of this year is at risk for having had their private information stolen (including name, expiration date of credit card, security codes, and actual credit card numbers).  Local law enforcement officials have even posited that customers at other ‘wichcraft locations, like that in NYC, could be at risk.

All of this is on the back of the recent Target hack and many Californians remember when Lucky supermarket experienced comparable problems.  In California, cyber crimes are taken very seriously.  In fact, federal law in cases like these supersedes California law.  However, according to (CA Penal Code 530.5) also known as “Identity Theft” law, a felony hack of this size could result in 3 years in state prison and a maximum $10,000 fine.  If it becomes a federal case, then you may be looking at 30 years in federal prison and hefty fines.

What should customers do if they believe they may be affected by this particular hack?  Authorities have advised monitoring of your credit card account and contacting your credit card company.