Experts say it’s unusual to see passport numbers compromised as part of a data breach. Here’s what that could mean, and how to protect your financial information.
A compromised passport number could be your ticket to identity theft woes.
Marriott International announced Friday that hackers had accessed the reservation database for its Starwood Hotels brand, compromising data for 500 million guests.
For 327 million of those affected consumers, the hotelier said, the information compromised „includes some combination of“ data points including name, mailing address, phone number, email address, passport number and date of birth. Some of those guests may also have had their payment card information compromised.
„For the remaining guests [in that 500 million total], the information was limited to name and sometimes other data such as mailing address, email address or other information,“ they said.
Experts say the potential for stolen passport numbers makes it more important for affected travelers to keep an eye on their accounts and take steps to protect themselves . (See tips below.)
While plenty of individuals deal with a lost or stolen physical copy of their passport, it’s less common to see passport numbers included in a breach.
„Passports compromised on a massive scale is somewhat unusual,“ said Eva Velasquez, chief executive and president of the Identity Theft Resource Center.
