Mar 27, 2015, 9:09 am
Last edit by: corporate-wage-slave
If you are new to this thread, please read this wiki before posting a question.
It's here to summarise what we know so far. It will save you the trouble of skim-reading the whole thread and should only take a minute to read. Thanks!
The very short version is:
If all your BA Avios have vanished, don't panic. They have probably been temporarily frozen by BA, not stolen by hackers.
British Airways have issued an FAQ on the issue:
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...s?p_faqid=5249
Starting on 27 March 2015, a very large number of people have found that their Avios balance has been reset to zero. Their list of transactions shows an "Ex-Gratia" deduction of their entire previous balance. Other people are also reporting they are unable to access their accounts at all, with their BAEC number not being recognised.
As of 17 hrs BST 30 March 2015, some members of FT have seen their Avios returned, as an equal Ex-Gratia credit to their account.
BAEC call centre staff do not seem to have received a thorough briefing and are giving at times contradictory information. However, an email has gone out to some, not all, BAEC members affected by this issue, with the subject "Executive Club Password Change", details here in post 181. At present there is no definitive information about the exact cause, but it's clear that BA believes there has been a serious security breach (or that there was a serious risk of such a breach).
Can I fix it myself?
Not at this stage. Early posts described a two part process but that no longer works, perhaps because there were too many cases. It will be necessary to reset your password if you are affected. After that you can login to your account, but at the moment those affected will still see zero Avios. Tier Points are unaffected by this incident.
Do I need to reset my password?
If you can't get into BA.com then yes. There seems to be two ways to do this:
1) If you received the email in post 181 above, follow the link to generate a new password. Note that you should double check that this is the precise same email shown in the link. There is a facility to view this email in a browser, top right, this is hosted by ed4.net
2) On the front page of BA.com -- when not logged in -- there is a "Forgotten PIN/Password" option. This should send an email to your registered account and from there you can reset your password.
There are, however, many reports of option 2 not working, although it is working for some BAEC members on some occasions. As always, check your spam box. If you can't get it to work, you can telephone the call centre (service centre) and after asking additional questions to verify identity, they can generate the email too.
I haven't received the email but I have been locked out / zero'd, what should I do?
Try to reset your password as above, and you could ring BA to find out if you need to take additional action. However the chances are that at the moment you will need to wait at least a few days until the situation becomes clearer.
I haven't been blocked, do I need to do anything?
No. But if you are worried you can reset your password inside BAEC, just go to My Executive Club / Manage My Account / Update My Personal Information / Login Details. However with so many BAEC members inhibited in making bookings at the moment, now may be a good time to take advantage of unclaimed availability.
Have other Avios partners been hit by this?
Yes, Iberia have been, Avios.com apparently not.
How do I look for or book redemptions?
If you have been zero'd then the Book with Avios or Money tab on the left side of My Executive Club may be blocked. However, you can at least check availability via Executive Club / Reward Flights / Book a Reward Flight. BAEC call centre staff are able to book redemptions for you. Remember to check that any booking fee is waived (hopefully they will do this without prompting). In other cases call centre staff have offered to put a redemption booking on "hold" pending the resolution of this issue. Alternatively if you have an Avios.com account with Avios already available there, then this maybe another way of handling this matter.
Statement of March 28 by AwardWallet.com : https://awardwallet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=6616&sid=28d901e85aafebb62044 609dc1a1ae7b
It's here to summarise what we know so far. It will save you the trouble of skim-reading the whole thread and should only take a minute to read. Thanks!
The very short version is:
If all your BA Avios have vanished, don't panic. They have probably been temporarily frozen by BA, not stolen by hackers.
British Airways have issued an FAQ on the issue:
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...s?p_faqid=5249
Starting on 27 March 2015, a very large number of people have found that their Avios balance has been reset to zero. Their list of transactions shows an "Ex-Gratia" deduction of their entire previous balance. Other people are also reporting they are unable to access their accounts at all, with their BAEC number not being recognised.
As of 17 hrs BST 30 March 2015, some members of FT have seen their Avios returned, as an equal Ex-Gratia credit to their account.
BAEC call centre staff do not seem to have received a thorough briefing and are giving at times contradictory information. However, an email has gone out to some, not all, BAEC members affected by this issue, with the subject "Executive Club Password Change", details here in post 181. At present there is no definitive information about the exact cause, but it's clear that BA believes there has been a serious security breach (or that there was a serious risk of such a breach).
Can I fix it myself?
Not at this stage. Early posts described a two part process but that no longer works, perhaps because there were too many cases. It will be necessary to reset your password if you are affected. After that you can login to your account, but at the moment those affected will still see zero Avios. Tier Points are unaffected by this incident.
Do I need to reset my password?
If you can't get into BA.com then yes. There seems to be two ways to do this:
1) If you received the email in post 181 above, follow the link to generate a new password. Note that you should double check that this is the precise same email shown in the link. There is a facility to view this email in a browser, top right, this is hosted by ed4.net
2) On the front page of BA.com -- when not logged in -- there is a "Forgotten PIN/Password" option. This should send an email to your registered account and from there you can reset your password.
There are, however, many reports of option 2 not working, although it is working for some BAEC members on some occasions. As always, check your spam box. If you can't get it to work, you can telephone the call centre (service centre) and after asking additional questions to verify identity, they can generate the email too.
I haven't received the email but I have been locked out / zero'd, what should I do?
Try to reset your password as above, and you could ring BA to find out if you need to take additional action. However the chances are that at the moment you will need to wait at least a few days until the situation becomes clearer.
I haven't been blocked, do I need to do anything?
No. But if you are worried you can reset your password inside BAEC, just go to My Executive Club / Manage My Account / Update My Personal Information / Login Details. However with so many BAEC members inhibited in making bookings at the moment, now may be a good time to take advantage of unclaimed availability.
Have other Avios partners been hit by this?
Yes, Iberia have been, Avios.com apparently not.
How do I look for or book redemptions?
If you have been zero'd then the Book with Avios or Money tab on the left side of My Executive Club may be blocked. However, you can at least check availability via Executive Club / Reward Flights / Book a Reward Flight. BAEC call centre staff are able to book redemptions for you. Remember to check that any booking fee is waived (hopefully they will do this without prompting). In other cases call centre staff have offered to put a redemption booking on "hold" pending the resolution of this issue. Alternatively if you have an Avios.com account with Avios already available there, then this maybe another way of handling this matter.
Statement of March 28 by AwardWallet.com : https://awardwallet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=6616&sid=28d901e85aafebb62044 609dc1a1ae7b
27 Mar: Large numbers of BAEC accounts being Locked/Zeroed Out/in Audit ('Ex-gratia')
Mar 30, 2015, 12:59 pm
#736
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Northern England
Posts: 1,534
27 Mar: Large numbers of BAEC accounts being Locked/Zeroed Out/in Audit ('Ex-gratia')
Just received the email from BA as per cynicalmoose. Mine used my name as well, unlike the first "dear customer" one. I see that the media has picked up on the poor phishing style email.
Mar 30, 2015, 1:31 pm
#743
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold / Hilton Diamond / IHG Diamond Ambassador / Marriot Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 2,536
My family and I are clearly very special!!
The following arrived in the last hour for all 4 members of the household.
"Your Executive Club account has been reactivated"
Following our recent communication about some unauthorised activity in relation to your Executive Club account, we are pleased to inform you that we have completed our internal audit of your account.
We are continuing to investigate this incident, which we understand was the result of a third party using information obtained elsewhere on the internet to gain access to Executive Club accounts.
At this stage we are not aware of any access to any subsequent information pages within your account, including your flight history or payment card details.
We also do not believe, at this stage, that any Avios have been removed from your account, so we have now lifted the precautionary suspension on your account and you are free to use it as you wish.
However, if you haven't yet changed your password as a result of last Friday's email from British Airways, please visit the British Airways website and follow the "Forgotten PIN/Password?" link, which can be found in the top right hand corner of our main home page.
We would recommend that you continue to be vigilant about any unusual or suspicious use of your personal data.
If you use the same login details for your Executive Club account as you do for your online accounts with any other organisations, we would also recommend that you change the passwords for these accounts.
We are sorry for the concern and inconvenience this matter has caused you and would like to reassure you that we are continuing to take this incident seriously.
British Airways Executive Club team
Well I hate to burst BA's self congratulatory bubble but
NO,
THE ACCOUNTS HAVE NOT BEEN REACTIVATED.
We are all still locked out and none of the accounts can yet generate the reset email.
So well done to those who are fully recovered but for others this is not yet over.
BA's incompetence on this is simply staggering.
The following arrived in the last hour for all 4 members of the household.
"Your Executive Club account has been reactivated"
Following our recent communication about some unauthorised activity in relation to your Executive Club account, we are pleased to inform you that we have completed our internal audit of your account.
We are continuing to investigate this incident, which we understand was the result of a third party using information obtained elsewhere on the internet to gain access to Executive Club accounts.
At this stage we are not aware of any access to any subsequent information pages within your account, including your flight history or payment card details.
We also do not believe, at this stage, that any Avios have been removed from your account, so we have now lifted the precautionary suspension on your account and you are free to use it as you wish.
However, if you haven't yet changed your password as a result of last Friday's email from British Airways, please visit the British Airways website and follow the "Forgotten PIN/Password?" link, which can be found in the top right hand corner of our main home page.
We would recommend that you continue to be vigilant about any unusual or suspicious use of your personal data.
If you use the same login details for your Executive Club account as you do for your online accounts with any other organisations, we would also recommend that you change the passwords for these accounts.
We are sorry for the concern and inconvenience this matter has caused you and would like to reassure you that we are continuing to take this incident seriously.
British Airways Executive Club team
Well I hate to burst BA's self congratulatory bubble but
NO,
THE ACCOUNTS HAVE NOT BEEN REACTIVATED.
We are all still locked out and none of the accounts can yet generate the reset email.
So well done to those who are fully recovered but for others this is not yet over.
BA's incompetence on this is simply staggering.
Mar 30, 2015, 1:32 pm
#744
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Chicago
Programs: BA Bronze & Hilton Gold
Posts: 14
Got through to BA (via the lowly Bronze line), answered a few questions & validated my address. About 2-Hours after that I got the email mentioned above & got my ~280k miles back! Joy!!!
Mar 30, 2015, 1:37 pm
#745
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Manchester, UK
Programs: IHG Spire Ambassador, HH Diamond
Posts: 947
no email to tell me they'd been taken and suspended.
no email to tell me they are back.
but they are, however awardwallet seems to not be able to login despite me updating the password within it
no email to tell me they are back.
but they are, however awardwallet seems to not be able to login despite me updating the password within it
Mar 30, 2015, 1:59 pm
#746
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Berlin
Programs: BA Gold; Accor Plat; IHG Diamond-Amb; Meliá & HH & Marriott Gold
Posts: 5,450
Mar 30, 2015, 2:05 pm
#748
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: France
Programs: MUCCI, BA LTG/GGL/CCR, AF PLAT, ETHIHAD AND LH USELESS PLASTIC
Posts: 2,063
Avios back as of this morning LA time.
Of course all my BA and AA flights at the end of last week have failed to credit as a result (no doubt) of the suspension, however
Of course all my BA and AA flights at the end of last week have failed to credit as a result (no doubt) of the suspension, however
Mar 30, 2015, 2:15 pm
#750
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 4,029