What happened?
The Trump Hotel Collection, a group of luxury hotels owned by famed real estate tycoon Donald Trump, acknowledged a possible data breach of customer payment card information on July 1, 2015.
Brian Krebs, the security expert known for exposing the Target data breach, was the first to report the Trump incident after speaking with several sources in the finance industry. These sources observed a trend of fraud among bank customers who used their credit cards at different Trump Hotel Collection sites, including Chicago, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York.
Eric Trump, executive vice president of development and acquisitions released a statement shortly after Krebs published his findings.
“Like almost every other company today, we have been made aware of possible suspicious credit card activity and are currently conducting a detailed investigation to see if it affects any of our properties,” the statement says. “We are dedicated to protecting all guests’ personal information and will keep doing so carefully.”
Despite the potential hack only recently coming to light, experts believe this breach may have begun in February 2015. This would account for almost five months of stolen credit card data.
What should you do?
If you may have been affected by this potential data breach, keep an eye on your bank statements for signs of fraudulent use or identity theft. Contact your financial institution immediately if you believe your information has been compromised. Remember, credit card companies will not hold customers liable for fraudulent charges as long as those fraudulent transactions are reported quickly.
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