This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
Since news broke of Marriott’s massive data breach on Friday, the world’s largest hotel chain has been backtracking to help offer safeguards to travelers who may have been affected. Just on Monday, New York Senator Chuck Schumer said that the chain should pay for new passports for those affected, and now, Marriott has conceded and will reimburse travelers who have to get a new travel document as a result of the breach.
“As it relates to passports and potential fraud, we are setting up a process to work with our guests who believe that they have experienced fraud as a result of their passports being involved in this incident,” a Marriott spokesperson told MarketWatch.
“If, through that process, we determine that fraud has taken place, then the company will reimburse guests for the costs associated with getting a new passport.”
In addition to passport reimbursement, that the chain said that it would give free identity theft monitoring software to track accounts. With the passport protection, Marriott is pledging to help the portion of those affected by the breach — 327 million — who may have had their passport information stolen.
On Monday, Senator Chuck Schumer said that Marriott should cover the $110 new passport fee for any Marriott customer whose passport number was stolen, putting them at a larger risk for identity theft.
Marriott disclosed that hackers had been breaching the Starwood database since 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 could have potentially been taken, but the largest amount of customers 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.
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.
If you believe your information was hacked, here is a guide on what to do to protect yourself.
H/T: MarketWatch
Featured image by SOPA Images / Getty Images.
Know before you go.
News and deals straight to your inbox every day.
NEW INCREASED OFFER: 60,000 Points
TPG'S BONUS VALUATION*: $1,200
CARD HIGHLIGHTS: 2X points on all travel and dining, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners
*Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. View our latest valuations here.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
