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wyndham security breach?
got a letter yesterday from wyndham saying there had been a 'data security incident involving your personal information.' the letter did not state which hotel chain it was--and, frankly, i can't remember staying at a wyndham this year, although i did have a friend who stayed at a days inn...maybe that was it.
basically, after apologizing profusely but vaguely, the letter offers a free year of equifax credit watch using a promotional code, and 20% off room stays at a wyndham hotel if i book before march 31st...
just wondering if anyone else got this.
edited to add: i just called the toll-free number on the letter, and the girl i spoke with wasn't particularly helpful. for example, when i asked what hotel it was, or what chain within wyndham, she only said 'we don't have that information' over and over, and wasn't able to tell me who might have that information. she did say that the breach occurred in september (the letter said this as well) and they just concluded an investigation involving the credit card companies, which is how they got my name/address and why it took three months to tell people about this.
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Last edited by karenkay; Dec 21, 08 at 7:14 pm..
Reason: more info
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I haven't received a letter, but haven't been at the address on the account since Thanksgiving. To try to figure out hotel brand or hotel, can you log into your Wyndham Rewards account and view your prior stays?
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thanks, kipper--i figured it out...i was at the wyndham o'hare in may during a mileage run--got a vdb and united put me up for the night before sending me on to nrt the following day (in f ).
no wonder i didn't remember--i didn't get a stay credit since it was a negotiated rate with united, and i don't have a credit card folio 'cause there were no charges to me. frankly, i'm trying to figure out which of my three ccs i used...as long as it wasn't my (main) amex, i'm tempted to get a new cc number.
still think it's weird i've seen nothing about this anywhere else...maybe it was a very small breach.
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got a letter yesterday from wyndham saying there had been a 'data security incident involving your personal information.' the letter did not state which hotel chain it was--and, frankly, i can't remember staying at a wyndham this year, although i did have a friend who stayed at a days inn...maybe that was it.
basically, after apologizing profusely but vaguely, the letter offers a free year of equifax credit watch using a promotional code, and 20% off room stays at a wyndham hotel if i book before march 31st...
just wondering if anyone else got this.
edited to add: i just called the toll-free number on the letter, and the girl i spoke with wasn't particularly helpful. for example, when i asked what hotel it was, or what chain within wyndham, she only said 'we don't have that information' over and over, and wasn't able to tell me who might have that information. she did say that the breach occurred in september (the letter said this as well) and they just concluded an investigation involving the credit card companies, which is how they got my name/address and why it took three months to tell people about this.
I received this as well. I don't remember staying at a Wyndham property, so I need to review which properties they own. I don't have an acct with them, as I use Intercontinental.
Thanks for calling them, looks like a follow-up call on my part will not be helpful.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by doctall41
I received this as well. I don't remember staying at a Wyndham property, so I need to review which properties they own. I don't have an acct with them, as I use Intercontinental.
Thanks for calling them, looks like a follow-up call on my part will not be helpful.
the woman i spoke with said that it's possible the property wasn't a wyndham when [you] stayed there, but has since been re-branded as a wyndham, and the credit card information went along with the re-branding...if that helps.
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the woman i spoke with said that it's possible the property wasn't a wyndham when [you] stayed there, but has since been re-branded as a wyndham, and the credit card information went along with the re-branding...if that helps.
I do know of one HI Select that recently changed over to Wyndham. That's probably what happened. I'm thinking I need to have my CC #'s changed too.
On December 2008 my wife received a letter as posted here in regards a WYNDHAM HOTEL AND RESORTS security breach. Immediately I done as other times and research snopes.com and others to see if it is an hoax or if it is the real deal. To me this seems a like promotional scam. Does anyone knows anymore information on this? It seems to me that either they need to improve their security or simply quit using scams to make people sign up for something that will just lead you to get something from them or even to make reservations in their hotel rooms. Is this a catch 22 scam? It seems to me that if my credit cards security was compromised by their stupidity then why would I want to give them any more business? Does this make sense to anyone or is it just me. Happened on 2004, 2005 and now on 2008 when the economy is tough. Scam or true? Kind of like to know for sure...
Believe this is a phishing scam, i.e., looking to steal identities. I have received several legitimate compromise letters and none of the letters have gone into such detail about the incident as this letter did.
Plus, my letter told me that I would be given one year of free Equifax Credit Watch 3 in 1 Alerts. The website the provided in the letter to obtain the free service, while looking like it is an Equifax website, is not...for I already have an Equifax account and no where can I locate such a website that branches off from the true Equifax website. Moreover, Equifax uses a secure (https) website to have you purchase a product from them.
If you doubt the legitimacy of the letter you received, then you should contact Wyndham directly using the phone numbers provided at www.wyndham.com. Or, go to the credit monitoring agencies websites and use the phone numbers provided by there to inquire as to the legitimacy of this letter.
Last edited by jjimbo1234; Dec 24, 08 at 1:01 pm..
I too received a letter addressing the Data Security Incident. I called the Wyndham reservations line and talked to a representative. She said the letter was a legitimate letter and told me to call the phone number provide in letter for further details. Then she offer me a three day free stay at a Wyndham resort, I declined.
Suggest anybody questioning the legitimacy of their letter call Wyndham using the phone numbers at their website to check it out. These days, you should never call the number on a letter until you have checked out the validity of the claim stated.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Happy
I tried to google it to find out more about this "security breach" letter. Nothing turns up.
This makes me very skepticle about the purpose of this letter.
the thing about it not turning up on google made me suspicious also...seems in this day and age, someone (other than us) would be talking about it, no?
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the thing about it not turning up on google made me suspicious also...seems in this day and age, someone (other than us) would be talking about it, no?
Exactly. It should have been already included in various data bases that track security breach.
Because it has not made it into any of the tracking sites, I would not register for the "free" ID monitoring service that is offered by the letter.
I got the letter, too. I did register for the service, since the domain ends with 'equifax.com'. I was already disappointed that the information was hacked (this is going to happen more and more due to shoddy data management), but imagine how crappy to learn that you have to pay just to see your credit report, and more to know your credit score. Their offer includes only alerts when something changes!
I know someone who went through a similar situation, and their company offered at least membership with the credit bureau which allows her to log in and view her report any time.
I, too, believe this could easily be a scam -- we know that the credit reporting companies will do anything to get new revenue, and lots of people who sign up for this "offer" will pay extra to view their reports, probably out of fear. Additionally, the letter offers, "for a limited time...a Preferred Customer Rate...You will receive a 20% discount on the room rate..." Even at 20% off, Wyndham makes a tidy profit, something they probably need badly in this environment.
I got the letter too and for the life of me I can't remember when I've stayed at a Wyndham in the last few years. I checked all of my winning priceline bids and also checked my Wyndham account and no stays. The only thing I can think is that maybe I had a reservation confirmed with a CC and then I canceled the reservation.
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Real Security Breach or Scam?
