Marriott Should Pay for Hacked Customers' New Passports, Senator Says
After a massive breach of customers' data that lasted four years, Marriott is being called out by a US senator who says the hotel chain should pay for new passports for those affected by the hack.
US Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, said on Sunday that Marriott should cover the $110 new passport fee for any customer whose passport number was breached by hackers, because it puts them at a larger risk for identity theft, the AP reports.
On Friday, Marriott disclosed that hackers had been breaching the Starwood guest database sine 2014, copying and encrypting customers' personal information, creating their own database of Starwood guests' data. Marriott, which merged with Starwood earlier this year to form the world's largest hotel chain, said the breach affects up to 500 million guests.
The company said that credit card information was also potentially taken, but the largest amount of customers affected by the hack had "some combination of name, mailing address, phone number, email address, passport number, Starwood Preferred Guest ("SPG") account information, date of birth, gender, arrival and departure information, reservation date, and communication preference" stolen from the database. Passport numbers can be used in conjunction with other pieces of personal information to commit identity theft.
For US travelers concerned that someone might have obtained their passport information without permission, the Identity Theft Resource Center suggests contacting the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778 or NPIC@state.gov for assistance.
TPG reached out to Marriott for comment but did not receive a response by time of publication. The hotel chain began contacting affected customers by email on Friday and also set up a website to assist guests.
If you believe you're information was hacked, here is a guide on what to do to protect yourself.
The data breach is likely one of the largest ever in US history.
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The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
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- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month