United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Wyndham accused of lax security over customers’ personal details
An official complaint has been filed in the US against Wyndham Hotels after hundreds of thousands of its customers’ credit card details were posted on a Russian website.
The US Federal Trade Commission alleges that this is the third time in less than two years that the group’s "lax" security policies have allowed hackers to access sensitive customer data, including credit card numbers and personal information.
In court documents filed in the US District Court of Arizona, it is claimed that Russian hackers were able to access more than 500,000 customer accounts on three separate occasions between 2008 and 2010.
The information was then used to rack up around £6.8 million in fraudulent credit card transactions.
According to the FTC, the hotel chain and three of its subsidiaries had failed to put the security measures in place, such as firewalls and complex user IDs and passwords.
In a statement, Wyndham’s worldwide director of communications Michael Valentino said the chain would vigorously defend itself against the accusations.
"At the time of these incidents, we made prompt efforts to notify the hotel customers whose information may have been compromised, and offered them credit monitoring services," he said.
"To date, we have not received any indication that any hotel customer experienced a financial loss as a result of these attacks. Since these events, we have made significant enhancements to our information security, and have assisted franchised and managed Wyndham Hotels and Resorts-brand hotels in enhancing their information security."
Wyndham Hotel Group has 7,000 hotels worldwide under the brands Ramada, Super 8, Days Inn and Howard Johnson and others.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Tony from Gatto’s Pizza on Columbus’s Unique Pizza Trail
Sophia Hyder Hock on Global Social Inclusion in Tourism
Sustainable Tourism: Don Welsh on Community Values and Global Collaboration
Jane Cunningham: Enhancing European Engagement in Tourism
Kristin Dunne: Navigating Destination Strategy
Revolutionizing Mobile Connectivity: Boris Bijlstra on HUBBY eSIM
Capturing Glasgow’s Vibrancy: An Interview with Susan Deighan, Chief Executive of Glasgow Life
Lebua Hotel & Resorts: Rajan Khurana on Hospitality and Bangkok’s Charms
Sustainable Tourism and Growth: Insights from Chiravadee Khunsub from Tourism Authority of Thailand
Revolutionizing Travel: SmartSIM USA’s Dale Takio Unveils the Power of E Sims
TravelMole Interview with Hishan Singhawansa, Deputy CEO of Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, Sri Lanka
Unveiling the Essence of Magari Tours: A Dive into Authentic Italian Experiences
EU airports bring back 100ml liquid rule
British Airways passengers endure 11-hour 'flight to nowhere'
CLIA: Anti-cruise demos could cause itinerary changes in Europe
Gatwick braces for strike
Co-pilot faints, easyJet flight issues ‘red alert’