SINGAPORE: Unauthorised parties may have accessed customers’ information after travel booking platform Booking.com suffered a data breach.
In an e-mail sent to its users and seen by The Straits Times on April 15, the platform said it “recently noticed suspicious activity affecting a number of reservations”.
Its investigations revealed that accessed information could include booking details, names, e-mail addresses and phone numbers associated with the booking, and anything that customers have shared with the property they made a reservation for. Financial information was not accessed from its systems, it said.
The e-mail did not state the number of customers affected by the data breach.
The platform has since sent new PINs for users with reservations, adding that it “immediately took action to contain the issue”.
It warned customers to watch out for suspicious e-mails or phone calls posing as the property or Booking.com, saying that it would never ask for credit card details through e-mail, over the phone, through text, or via WhatsApp.
Booking.com also urged users to set up security protocols, such as an antivirus programme, on their devices to stay safe of phishing attempts.
“The security of your personal information is our utmost priority. We’ll continue to enhance and extend the robust security measures we have in place to secure your reservations with us,” the e-mail added.
Some Booking.com users previously received e-mails or messages from the platform’s in-app chat function from scammers posing as hotel representatives.
The scammers would ask the victims to access a fraudulent link to verify their reservation, which would then prompt them to share their personal and banking details.
ST has contacted Booking.com for more information. - The Straits Times/ANN
