Marriott Data Breach and What You Need to Know
Marriott just announced a data breach that’s exposed sensitive customer info
Here’s what you need to know about the Marriott breach
· Marriott International said its Starwood guest reservation database was breached, exposing the personal info of about 500 million customers.
· Compromised data includes: Name, address, phone number, email address, passport number, Starwood Preferred Guest (“SPG”) account info, date of birth and more.
· Some customers’ info also includes payment card numbers and expiration dates, but the payment card numbers were encrypted.
How to protect your info after this breach
To support you during this time, we’ve put together some guidelines to help you protect yourself:
· Stay alert for new info. If you have been part of a data breach, the breached company may send you a notice. Retain all documents and consider any suggestions they may have. Also, pay attention to and retain any mail you receive that is unfamiliar to you, such as notices from the IRS regarding your taxes or any bills from unknown lenders.
· Change your passwords on any accounts that may have been breached and remember to use unique passwords across different accounts.
· Keep an eye on your financial accounts online and set up any alert features they may have. This could help save time and keep you notified of any unusual events if they occur.
· Monitor your credit and identity by checking your credit reports at each of the 3 credit bureaus for free once every 12 months. Look for unusual activity, such as new accounts, personal info or inquiries.