Wawa Data Breach In DC, Virginia; All Stores Affected

WASHINGTON, DC — Wawa customers who used credit or debit cards this year at any convenience store in the chain may have had their data compromised, the company said Thursday.

Hackers used malware to access credit and data cards via terminals in stores and at gas pumps for nearly 10 months this year. The retailer's ATM cash machines were not breached, and the malware no longer poses a risk to Wawa customers using payment cards at its locations, the company's CEO said.

Customers are being urged to check their credit card statements for fraudulent charges. CEO Chris Gheysens said in a statement posted on the Wawa website that customers will not be responsible for any bogus charges stemming from the data breach. Employees discovered the malware Dec. 10 and had it contained by Dec. 12, the company said.

"I apologize deeply to all of you, our friends and neighbors, for this incident, Gheysens said. "You are my top priority and are critically important to all of the nearly 37,000 associates at Wawa. We take this special relationship with you and the protection of your information very seriously."

Investigators say credit and debit card numbers, expiration dates and cardholder names on payment cards were captured by malware via all Wawa in-store payment terminals and fuel dispensers sometime after March 4 through Dec. 12.

No other personal information was accessed by the hackers, the company said. Debit card PIN numbers, credit card CVV2 numbers (the three- or four-digit security code printed on the card), other PIN numbers, and driver’s license information used to verify age-restricted purchases were not affected by the malware.

Customers seeking more information can call 844-386-9559 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. ET weekdays, or between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, excluding holidays. Wawa said it is offering free credit monitoring and identity theft protection to anyone affected.

To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call toll-free at 877-322-8228.

The chain of convenience stores — which began in 1803 as an iron foundry in the Garden State — operates more than 850 locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C.

With its company headquarters in Pennsylvania, Wawa recently opened stores in the District of Columbia region. Wawa's expansion goal in Northern Virginia calls for two to three new store openings per year and 40 new stores in 15 years.