Wenco Management, LLC Health and Welfare Benefit Plan

The breach at Wenco Management, LLC Health and Welfare Benefit Plan, which operates as Wenco Wendy’s, a Wendy’s restaurant franchise across Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana, was discovered on August 21, 2022. This incident involved unauthorized access to sensitive personal identifiable information and protected health information of over 20,000 current and former employees. The compromised data included names, Social Security numbers, and health and welfare benefit plan selection information[3].

Wenco Wendy’s operates 40 locations and employs more than 1,000 individuals. The company is known for its square hamburger patties, Frosty’s, chicken sandwiches, baked potatoes, and sea salt fries, and it prioritizes fresh ingredients, offering healthy alternatives like salads and fruit[3].

The breach was classified as a Hacking/IT Incident, affecting 20,526 individuals. It was part of a larger trend in Ohio, which saw 20 healthcare data breaches in 2022, impacting more than 275,000 Ohioans. Healthcare organizations are particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks due to the sensitive patient information they hold[4].

In response to the breach, Wenco Wendy’s began notifying affected individuals on October 20, 2022, and recommended steps to protect their personal information, such as enrolling in free credit monitoring services provided by Wenco Management, LLC, changing passwords and security questions for online accounts, regularly reviewing account statements, monitoring credit reports, and contacting a credit bureau to request a temporary fraud alert[3].

This incident underscores the ongoing challenges and risks associated with securing sensitive personal and health information in the healthcare and related sectors.

Citations:

1. https://www.msdlegal.com/blog/2022/11/wenco-management-data-breach-class-action-investigation/
2. https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/the-biggest-healthcare-data-breaches-you-should-know-about-in-ohio/
3. https://www.turkestrauss.com/2022/11/04/wenco-wendys-data-breach-investigation/
4. https://www.cleveland.com/news/2023/08/these-were-the-10-biggest-healthcare-data-breaches-in-ohio-last-year.html
5. https://fox8.com/news/the-biggest-health-care-data-breaches-you-should-know-about-in-ohio/
6. https://www.hipaajournal.com/october-2022-healthcare-data-breach-report/
7. https://www.law360.com/articles/1567308/easy-to-hack-wendy-s-franchisee-blamed-for-data-breach
8. https://classlawdc.com/2022/11/04/wenco-managment-wendys-franchisee-data-breach/