Proposed settlement could give Wawa shoppers affected by data breach up to $500

Wawa customers affected by a massive 2019 data breach at the company may soon be able to get compensation.

A newly proposed settlement to a class-action lawsuit over the breach would have Wawa give gift cards and cash repayments to any customers who used debit or credit cards at stores and fuel pumps from March 4 to Dec. 12 of 2019.

Wawa could end up giving out as much as $8 million in gift cards and $1 million in cash.

The Delaware County-based convenience store and gas station chain, which has more than 850 locations in six states and Washington, D.C., announced the breach in December 2019.

In a statement, Wawa CEO Chris Gheysens said the company realized it had a data breach on Dec. 10, when its information security staff found malware on payment processing servers. After an internal investigation, they determined that the malware had likely been running for about nine months, all the while compromising credit and debit card information used at Wawa stores and gas pumps.

Specifically, card numbers, expiration dates, and cardholder names were compromised. The company said PIN numbers for debit cards and CVV2 numbers for credit cards weren’t affected, nor was drivers’ license information.

At the time, Wawa encouraged anyone who had shopped at a store within that time frame to check their debit and credit statements and to order a credit check.

Now, there may soon be a way for people who determined that they were affected to get compensated.

Customers who shopped at Wawa during the breach period would be able to file claims through this website, which isn’t live yet, but would become available with the approval of the settlement.

Anyone who has proof that they used their credit or debit cards at a Wawa between March 4 and Dec. 12 of 2019 would be eligible for a $5 gift card. Those who have proof of attempted or successful fraudulent charges can get a $15 card, and anyone who can prove they lost money — either due to theft, fees related to credit freezes, or fees from banks — might be able to get a cash payment up to $500.

The breach was broad. Wawa has said it’s possible it affected every location, and up to 30 million payment records.