Hotel Van Zandt In Austin Hit With Credit Card Breach

AUSTIN, TX -- Malware was found on cash registers operated at several Kimpton Hotels throughout the country -- including Hotel Van Zandt in Austin and its restaurant -- that may have compromised customers' credit card information, company officials said on Wednesday.

"Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants received a report on July 15, 2016 of unauthorized charges occurring on payment cards after they had been used by guests at the restaurant in one of our hotels," company officials said on their website. "We immediately began to investigate the report and hired leading cyber security firms to examine our payment card processing system."

Hotel Van Zandt is located at 605 Davis St.

The breach could have given hackers key data, including credit card numbers, card expiration dates and cardholder names, according to the company statement. The hack also affects the hotel's restaurant, Geraldine's, officials added.

"The malware primarily found track data that contained the card number, expiration date, and internal verification code, but in a small number of instances it may have found the track that also contains the cardholder name," company officials said.

Kimpton company officials are in the process of mailing letters to affected hotel guests to alert them to the breach, company officials said. Customers with questions can call (888) 339-3142.

Company officials recommended that cardholders remain vigilant for incidents of fraud or identity theft by reviewing bank account statements and free credit reports for any unauthorized activity. A free credit report can be obtained once a year from one of three nationwide credit reporting companies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

To order a free credit report, cardholders can visit www.annualcreditreport.comor call toll free at 1-877-322-8228. Contact information for the three nationwide credit reporting companies follows:

Equifax, PO Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374, www.equifax.com, 1-800-685-1111
Experian, PO Box 2002, Allen, TX 75013, www.experian.com, 1-888-397-3742
TransUnion, PO Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016, www.transunion.com, 1-800-916-8800

Those who believe they were victimized by identity theft or suspect misuse of personal information should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission and/or the Attorney General’s office in their respective state. Once contacted, the agencies can outline steps to be taken to avoid identity theft as well as information on how to set up fraud alerts and security freezes.

Contact information for the Federal Trade Commission is as follows:

Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Response Center, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20580, 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338), www.ftc.gov/idtheft

In terms of fraud alerts, there are two types -- those placed on one's credit report to put creditors on notice that you may be a victim of fraud either as an initial alert or extended alert.

'You may ask that an initial fraud alert be placed on your credit report if you suspect you have been, or are about to be, a victim of identity theft," information on the company's website reads. "An initial fraud alert stays on your credit report for at least 90 days. You may have an extended alert placed on your credit report if you have already been a victim of identity theft with the appropriate documentary proof. An extended fraud alert stays on your credit report for seven years. You can place a fraud alert on your credit report by contacting any of the three national credit reporting agencies."

Another safeguard is a credit freeze.

"You may have the right to put a credit freeze, also known as a security freeze, on your credit file, so that no new credit can be opened in your name without the use of a PIN number that is issued to you when you initiate a freeze," the website reads. "A credit freeze is designed to prevent potential credit grantors from accessing your credit report without your consent."

However, a word of caution: Placing a credit freeze could impair the ability to obtain credit, albeit temporarily until the freeze is lifted.

"If you place a credit freeze, potential creditors and other third parties will not be able to get access to your credit report unless you temporarily lift the freeze," the website guidelines read. "Therefore, using a credit freeze may delay your ability to obtain credit. In addition, you may incur fees to place, lift and/or remove a credit freeze.

"Credit freeze laws vary from state to state. The cost of placing, temporarily lifting, and removing a credit freeze also varies by state, generally $5 to $20 per action at each credit reporting company. Unlike a fraud alert, you must separately place a credit freeze on your credit file at each credit reporting company. Since the instructions for how to establish a credit freeze differ from state to state, please contact the three major credit reporting companies as specified below to find out more information."

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