Wawa data breach: What customers should do now

Wawa is offering free credit monitoring and identity protection services to the thousands of customers who may have been affected by a data breach.

The convenience store chain announced Thursday that customers who paid with credit or debit cards at Wawas in the last nine months may have had their card information compromised.

Stolen information could include card numbers, expiration dates and cardholder names, but the company says PIN numbers and CVV2 numbers are not at risk. 

WAWA BREACH: Wawa warns of 'data security incident' involving customers' credit card information

In a letter to customers dated Dec. 19, Wawa CEO Chris Gheysens said the company is not aware of any unauthorized use of payment card information as a result of the breach.

But experts still recommend that those possibly affected take precautionary security measures.

To enroll in the protection services offered by Wawa, visit Experian Identity Works' website and use activation code "4H2H3T9H6." Customers can receive one year of identity theft protection and credit monitoring at no charge. 

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Through Experian, customers can keeps tabs on activity on their credit report. All U.S. residents are also entitled to one free credit report each year through annualcreditreport.com. 

Here are a few additional general tips from the Delaware Department of Technology and Information and the Federal Trade Commission on how to keep your information safe and what to do if you believe it has been compromised. More information on the Wawa breach is available on its website. 

• Check your credit card and bank accounts for charges you don't recognize. 
• Contact your bank or credit card company to cancel your card and request a new one. You can also close your checking account if you believe your account or routing numbers have been compromised. 
• Consider placing a free credit freeze, which makes it harder for someone to open a new account in your name.
• Don't open an email link unless you're confident you know the sender and requested the information.
• Don’t believe anyone who calls and says you’ll be arrested unless you pay taxes or debt — even if they have part or all of your Social Security number, or they say they’re from the IRS.
• Some diagnostic companies ask for a copy of your driver's license. You can ask the state to flag your license number in case someone else tries to use it, or you can apply for a duplicate.

Contact Brandon Holveck at bholveck@delawareonline.com or at (302) 324-2267. Follow on Twitter @holveck_brandon.