Warning: Hotel Data Breach

[lastlook]

FYI: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/another-massive-data-breach-strikes-213037963.html;_ylt=A0LEV0_GWfFSowsAK3BXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB0Yjkwb3VoBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDM3MF8x

 

 

Both my sister and I have been affected by this data breach and have had to cancel our credit cards and have new ones issued. We stayed at one of these hotel chain properties prior to our New Year's cruise.

 

Although this data breach involves more than just the area that we were in, we wonder how many other cruisers might have been affected since so many of us book hotels pre and post cruise.

 

Hopefully this subject is not taboo on this forum. Please feel free to move or delete it if it is not appropriate.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for the information.

I heard about this on the news this morning but didn't have time to check it out then. When we got home I completely forgot about checking this out.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the tip ..

[sjcruiser]

Thanks for the information!!!

[lastlook]

Thank you for the information.

I heard about this on the news this morning but didn't have time to check it out then. When we got home I completely forgot about checking this out.

 

You're most welcome. The fraudulent charges began about a week after we returned home.

[sail7seas]

It's always good when CC'ers share such information. Some of us may not have heard about it.

Thank you.

 

[alwaysfrantic]

I got called by Capital One last night that I had used my card at a merchant which was part of a large breach. They wouldn't disclose the business. Bingo, question solved.

 

Cap One is sending new cards.

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for keeping everyone updated. This was reported on the evening news last evening.

[alwaysfrantic]

This is a list of the properties this company is associated with:

 

http://www.whitelodging.com/about/developments/complete-list-of-developments

[Cruising-along]

Thank you for the information. I think there was an article in the Seattle paper last week about how travelers are a target for data breaches such as this. I check our credit card charges several times a week -- but unfortunately it isn't so easy when we're traveling, and I think they count on that. :(

[Himself]

Thanks for the tip.

[kazu]

And you can add Marriiott to the esteemed list.

 

My card (used to secure the reservation) and DH's were both fraudulently used. On the news last night = huge problem at Marriott for fraud - Yeah, tell me about it - not going to be our hotel of choice in the future. I had a long chat with the security officer there, plus emailed and to date, he has never let me know a thing. The only thing in common our two cards had was the Marriott and I told our credit card company that very thing.

 

Big red flag for me. I love the hotel, but until someone tells me that they have things tightened down, I don't have the time or the energy to go through two more issues of counterfeited cards.

[lastlook]

This is a list of the properties this company is associated with:

 

http://www.whitelodging.com/about/developments/complete-list-of-developments

 

The specific Ft. Lauderdale hotel where we stayed is not on this list, so I think many more of the various chain properties have been affected. Ours was one of the more popular ones on 17th Street, and my sister and I live on opposite coasts and used totally different credit cards while at that hotel. Both of our cards were compromised and were being used in states that are far apart. So this is nation wide, if not world wide. We have pulled our credit reports just to make sure nothing else is going on - so far, so good.

[alwaysfrantic]

I am just assuming this is the breach Capital One closed my account over.....maybe another one will be announced in the next few days. If it was this one, a property my son stayed in on his way back to college in the summer is listed, so I guess that is the transaction that made them close the account. However, if so, in the intervening 6 months, nothing went amiss on the card.

[Randyk47]

Really time for US based credit card companies to consider chip enabled cards. From my understanding that's a pretty common practice outside of the US, particularly in Europe and Asia. The US companies argue that it's not a cure-all but it would appear that the compromise of accounts is significantly lower when credit cards have RFID chips. It's not that I have a fist full of cards but I have a number and not one of them has a chip.

[alwaysfrantic]

Really time for US based credit card companies to consider chip enabled cards. From my understanding that's a pretty common practice outside of the US, particularly in Europe and Asia. The US companies argue that it's not a cure-all but it would appear that the compromise of accounts is significantly lower when credit cards have RFID chips. It's not that I have a fist full of cards but I have a number and not one of them has a chip.

 

One recently reissued my card with a chip...but it still has the magnetic swipe since do place domestically would have a reader for the chip. But at least it would be readable traveling in countries that got rid of swipe readers already.

[Randyk47]

One recently reissued my card with a chip...but it still has the magnetic swipe since do place domestically would have a reader for the chip. But at least it would be readable traveling in countries that got rid of swipe readers already.

 

I was actually a bit worried about not having chip enabled cards when we cruised in the Med year before last. I heard all sorts of stories that European merchants (i.e., hotels, restaurants, shops) were used to and maybe even required chipped cards. I actually called the card companies of the ones we'd decided to take with us, mostly to tell them we'd be out of country and not to "freak out" if they saw a charge from the list of countries we were visiting, and mentioned/asked about the chip issue. All assured me we'd be fine and we were but I can't say I didn't hold my breath a bit the first time I offered one up for a dinner in Barcelona. Again we didn't take every card we have but we did take and use a couple without any problems. Your post though actually caused me to go to my wallet and double check my credit cards. Even the new one I got about three to four weeks ago as a replacement for a potentially compromised card wrapped up in the Target fiasco....no chip. :(

[bloofer]

Really time for US based credit card companies to consider chip enabled cards...

 

We have them here in Canada.

[Randyk47]

We have them here in Canada.

 

Which makes the lack of chipped cards here in the US make even less sense.

[richwmn]

And you can add Marriiott to the esteemed list.

 

My card (used to secure the reservation) and DH's were both fraudulently used. On the news last night = huge problem at Marriott for fraud - Yeah, tell me about it - not going to be our hotel of choice in the future. I had a long chat with the security officer there, plus emailed and to date, he has never let me know a thing. The only thing in common our two cards had was the Marriott and I told our credit card company that very thing.

 

Big red flag for me. I love the hotel, but until someone tells me that they have things tightened down, I don't have the time or the energy to go through two more issues of counterfeited cards.

 

Jacqui -

Please don't paint Marriott in general with this broad brush. Most, if not all, hotels are not owned by the brand name (Marriott in this case). They are owned by REIT's which control things like which credit card processor to use.

There is a local group here that owns a Hilton Garden, a Holiday Inn, a Holiday Inn Express and a Springhill Suites. The group that had a problem owns quite a few hotels of different brands.

The hotels are franchises. While the franchisor sets some standards, most decisions are made by the board of the REIT.

 

Rich

[Hlitner]

This is actually a great topic on this forum since credit card security impacts on just about any traveler. We ourselves have taken all kinds of personal security measures (we travel internationally about 6 months a year) but there is currently no effective way to protect yourself from these massive credit security breaches done to various merchants. The idea of checking each credit/debit card account on a daily basis almost seems paranoid...but has now become a very reasonable course of action.

 

Hank

[RJ2002]

Which makes the lack of chipped cards here in the US make even less sense.

 

I think I read on another thread that even North Korea recently converted to EMV / pin & chip card processing. Supposedly the US is the only country that has yet to convert.

[chrispb]

Don't forget, if someone gets hold of your card number plus the 3 digits on the reverse, they can still spend, spend, spend (usually by phone) and the chip doesn't make any difference to this type of card fraud.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Really time for US based credit card companies to consider chip enabled cards. From my understanding that's a pretty common practice outside of the US, particularly in Europe and Asia. The US companies argue that it's not a cure-all but it would appear that the compromise of accounts is significantly lower when credit cards have RFID chips. It's not that I have a fist full of cards but I have a number and not one of them has a chip.

 

I agree -- yesterday I got my new Amex Card and today DH got his.

We were hoping that they would have had the new chips in them.

No suck luck.

[Randyk47]

Don't forget, if someone gets hold of your card number plus the 3 digits on the reverse, they can still spend, spend, spend (usually by phone) and the chip doesn't make any difference to this type of card fraud.

 

That's true. My poor wife for some reason has had three card numbers compromised and actually tried to be used. In every case it actually was not a stolen number in the sense they'd taken her card but that somebody had made up a fake card using a random number generator. Funniest call was a Visa card rep calling the house and asking for Carey. She answered and the rep said "Hmmm....you're obviously not in Pakistan trying to buy $3,000 in camera equipment." :eek::D None of the stolen numbers had the right name on the card or connected with the account.