TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Hackers are targeting hotels and stealing thousands of customers’ credit card information.
The InterContinental Hotel along Kennedy Boulevard in Tampa is one of 20 hotels in 10 states that have been targeted. Hackers used malware to collect the information, HEI Hotels and Resorts revealed.
The breach affects some Hyatt, Marriott, InterContinental, and Starwood hotels across the country.
HEI Hotels and Resorts says customers’ names and credit card account numbers may have been hacked from early December through June.
Four of the cases took place in Florida, including at the Intercontinental in Tampa as well as hotels in Boca Raton, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale. It also happened across the country from California to Texas to Vermont.
See a complete list of hotels affected here.
The breach affects all kinds of transactions, including food and spa purchases. Tech experts recommend customers keeping a close eye on credit card statements and make sure cards have fraud protection.
“It’s just crazy how under-armed we are in basically against hackers and their abilities to get into our computer systems,” said Mit Patel, a computer and information technology expert of Tampa.
Patel says it’s not a matter of when but where. “It’s not whether they can get in, it’s what they choose to get into or how much damage they want to do,” Patel said.
“The hackers are always two to three steps ahead of the companies that are protecting against it.”
The hotel operator says it’s working on making its network and payment systems more secure.
Whether you pay online or at the hotel, experts want you to remember to make sure there’s good Internet security programs, firewalls, trusted websites, and make sure your credit card protects you from fraud.
