On Friday, Marriott International said the data and private information of up to 500 million guests may have been breached, possibly the largest breach ever. We at Sterling Events, working with so many different hotel chains, want to help you stay safe and help you protect yourself with a few tips.
1: Check your email for updates and communications from Marriott. If you do have something from them DO NOT reply or click any links on the email. Instead call the Marriott helpline and ask for customer service to further assist you. This will help you to avoid phishing and spear phishing campaigns.
2: FREEZE your credit. Go to each of the credit bureaus and put a freeze on all of your accounts so no one can open any credit lines with your information. Some of them do have a nominal fee around $20. To get started with a credit freeze, you’ll need to get in touch with each of the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
3: Get online monitoring started. In light of the breach, Marriott is giving a free year’s worth of WebWatcher. This can monitor any online resale sites in case your information shows up on the black-market.
4: Change your passwords. Passwords may have been compromised. It’s important you change your passwords with all online retailers.
5: Your passport information. If you were one of the customers that had their passport information stolen don’t worry, if you physically have your passport, there is nothing they can do.
Stay tuned for more information. Contact us today if you have questions.
