Wawa Class Action Filed Over Major Data Breach

A class action lawsuit is challenging the way Wawa Inc. handled a data breach that reportedly hit the gas station and convenient store chain between March and December 2019.

The Wawa data breach class action lawsuit was filed by Suzanne High who says she used to make purchases at Wawa around once a month, usually with her debit card.

She claims that in August 2019, she was notified by her bank that fraudulent charges had been made on her account, and that her debit card was compromised.

According to High, this was a result of the Wawa data breach, which had exposed her personal information and subjected her to financial injury.

The Wawa class action states that on Dec. 10, 2019 Wawa discovered that malware was running on its payment processing system which was reportedly stealing card payment information. Allegedly, the malware had been affecting the system since March 4, 2019. 

The data breach reportedly affected possibly all Wawa locations at first, with most locations affected after April 22, 2019. High states that on Dec. 19, 2019, Wawa made a public announcement that its systems had been compromised.

She claims that at the time, the company stated that the information that was compromised included names, addresses, credit card numbers, expiration dates for cards, and card security codes.

The Wawa data breach class action lawsuit says that Wawa violated the rights of its customers by failing to protect its information, and subsequently, the personal information of consumers. Allegedly, the company did this either willfully, recklessly, or negligently. 

According to the Wawa data breach class action lawsuit, the company failed to disclose the fact that it did not have adequate security practices and safeguards in place, and did not take steps to prevent the data breach.

After the breach occurred, Wawa’s negligence continued, claims the Wawa data breach class action lawsuit. Allegedly, the company did not sufficiently monitor or detect the data breach. 

The Wawa data breach class action lawsuit then goes on to say that the company did not provide customers with prompt and accurate information of the data breach. High notes that the company waited more than a week to inform consumers of the data breach after it had been uncovered.

The multiple failures on the part of Wawa allegedly caused consumers significant injury, because they now face and increased risk of fraud and identity theft. Consumers will reportedly have to spend significant time and money to recover their data security. 

According to High, Wawa customers have already spent significant time and money trying to recover from the effects of the data breach. She says that the company prevented them from taking swift action to protect their information by waiting to deliver the news of the data breach.

This delay increased the risk of fraud and identity theft that could have been committed using the personal information of consumers, the plaintiff states.

High’s Wawa data breach class action lawsuit is not the first of its kind. Another consumer filed similar claims last month.

Have you been the victim of a data breach? Share your experiences in the comment section below.

High is represented by Kevin Clancy Boylan, Jean S. Martin, Patrick A. Barthle, and Francesca Kester of Morgan & Morgan Complex Litigation Group.

The Wawa Data Breach Class Action Lawsuit is Suzanne High v. Wawa Inc., Case No. 2:10-cv-00001-JHS, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 

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