If you were affected by the Wawa data breach, here’s what to do next - NJ.com

Wawa, the convenience store beloved across New Jersey, announced a massive data breach that may have exposed the credit and debit card information of customers at all Wawa stores.

This breach started on March 4 when malware was placed on its payment processing servers, the company said, and it’s been running on and off since that time. The breach was discovered on Dec. 10, the company said.

The company’s investigation revealed customer debit and credit card numbers, expiration dates and cardholder names were exposed, but PIN numbers and CVV2 codes were not.

“At Wawa, the people who come through our doors are not just customers, they are our friends and neighbors, and nothing is more important than honoring and protecting their trust,” said Chris Gheysens, Wawa’s chief executive officer. “I want to reassure anyone impacted they will not be responsible for fraudulent charges related to this incident. To all our friends and neighbors, I apologize deeply for this incident.”

He said the hack has since been contained, but your info is still out there.

Wawa is offering free credit monitoring and identity protection services. You can call Wawa at (844) 386-9559 or read more about the breach on Wawa’s website.

If you used a credit or debit card at Wawa during the affected period, here’s what you should do.

1. Contact the bank that issued your card and ask for a new one.
2. Check your credit and debit card statements and look for any suspicious activity.
3. Take advantage of the free services offered by Wawa — unless, of course, you already have these services from other data hacks.
4. Keep an eye on your credit reports with the three credit bureaus for any unusual activity. You can do that for free through AnnualCreditReport.com. It could take years for a con artist to use your information, so make sure you check at least annually.
5. Consider putting a security freeze on your credit reports. This would stop a would-be scammer from opening new credit in your name. When you need access to credit in the future, you can have the credit bureaus unlock, or “thaw,” your reports. If that’s too drastic for you, put a fraud alert on your credit reports to make it harder for a fraudster to open new credit in your name.
6. Beware of fake emails and phone calls about the data breach. It’s common for scammers to capitalize on news of a hack, and they may try to trick consumers and say they’re calling from Wawa about the breach. They’ll ask for your personal information, and from there, anything goes.

As always, keep a close eye on all your account statements. With the number of data breaches we’ve seen in recent months, there’s a pretty good chance your information is out there.

Have you been Bamboozled? Reach Karin Price Mueller at Bamboozled@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KPMueller. Find Bamboozled on Facebook. Mueller is also the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Stay informed and sign up for NJMoneyHelp.com’s weekly e-newsletter.

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2019-12-20 13:50:00Z
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