The answer is probably “yes” if you have stayed at a Best Western Hotel in the past 12 months and paid using credit card, according to the Scottish Sunday Herald, which alleges that the company’s computer systems have been hacked into by an international criminal gang. Pulling off one of the most audacious cyber-crimes ever, the gang has stolen the identities of an estimated eight million people in a hacking raid that could ultimately net more than £2.8billion in illegal funds. Amounting to a complete identity-theft kit, the stolen data includes a range of private information including home addresses, telephone numbers, credit card details and place of employment.The consequences are alarming. Imagine a business traveller trying to check out of a hotel in the future, all ready to board a flight, and finding that his or her credit limit has been reached (by criminal misuse of his card) and left without the means to settle the bill.
Until more details of this story emerge and we see a statement by Best Western Hotels detailing the extent of the penetration, it may be advisable for travellers who think they have been exposed to ask their card issuer to cancel their credit card and issue a replacement card with a different number.
For more on this story, click on the link below:
http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=sa&id=1369
