Breaking Wawa Announces Data Breach






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Wawa CEO Chris Gheysens released a statement Wednesday night, saying “we are currently investigating and addressing a data security incident that impacted our store locations.:
Specifically “our information security team discovered malware on Wawa payment processing servers on December 10, 2019, and contained it by December 12, 2019. This malware affected customer payment card information used at potentially all Wawa locations beginning at different points in time after March 4, 2019 and until it was contained. At this time, we believe this malware no longer poses a risk to Wawa customers using payment cards at Wawa, and this malware never posed a risk to our ATM cash machines” tje CEO said.
Wawa said customers will not be responsible for any fraudulent charges on your payment cards related to this incident.
Officials said the malware incident began on March 4, 2019,”on in-store payment processing systems at potentially all Wawa locations. Although the dates may vary and some Wawa locations may not have been affected at all, this malware was present on most store systems by approximately April 22, 2019. Our information security team identified this malware on December 10, 2019, and by December 12, 2019, they had blocked and contained this malware”
Wawa said law enforcement has been contacted and an open investigation is ongoing, although company officials say the issue is believed to be contained they suggest customers do the following;
Customers whose information may have been involved should consider the following recommendations, all of which are good data security precautions in general:
Review Your Payment Card Account Statements. We encourage you to remain vigilant by reviewing your payment card account statements. If you believe there is an unauthorized charge on your payment card, please notify the relevant payment card company by calling the number on the back of the card. Under federal law and card company rules, customers who notify their payment card company in a timely manner upon discovering fraudulent charges will not be responsible for those charges.
Register for Identity Protection Services. We have arranged with Experian to provide potentially impacted customers with one year of identity theft protection and credit monitoring at no charge to you. Information about these services is available at www.wawa.com/alerts/data-security or call toll-free to 1-844-386-9559.
Order a Credit Report. If you enroll in the Experian service (at the phone number above) we are offering, you will have access to activity on your credit report. In addition, if you are a U.S. resident, you are entitled under U.S. law to one free credit report annually from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting agencies. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call toll-free at 1-877-322-8228.
Review the Reference Guide. The Reference Guide below provides additional resources on the protection of personal information.
For More Information
If you have any questions about this issue or enrolling in the credit monitoring services we are offering at no charge to you, please call our dedicated Experian response phone line at 1-844-386-9559. It is open Monday – Friday, between 9:00 am and 9:00 pm Eastern Time, or Saturday and Sunday, between 11:00 am and 8:00 pm Eastern Time, excluding holidays (which include December 24, December 25, December 31, January 1, and January 20).
Addtionally Wawa suggests placing security alerts on your credit file and asking for copies of your credit report, if you think you are a victim of the breach.
Wawa said the information that was accessed payment card information, including credit and debit card numbers, expiration dates, and cardholder names on payment cards used at potentially all Wawa in-store payment terminals and fuel dispensers beginning at different points in time after March 4, 2019 and ending on December 12, 2019. Most locations were affected as of April 22, 2019, however, some locations may not have been affected at all.
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