- In December 2019, Wawa announced a widespread data breach affecting Point of Sale card reader systems at many of its 850 store locations, exposing customers’ financial data and other sensitive information. Since then, the company has been plagued by a flurry of lawsuits from consumers and credit unions claiming negligence for the retailer’s payment card security practices.
- According to the latest credit union suits, the retailer allegedly failed to adhere to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) with its practice of swiping cards rather than scanning chips, opening the door for fraudsters to steal customers’ payment card details.
- According to PCI Pal research, 70% of consumers will leave a brand for several months or even permanently in the event of a data breach, resulting in long-term revenue losses. And while companies won’t be fined for a data breach in most of the United States, they can still be subject to hefty legal settlements.
– Stacey Richards | January 12, 2021
