Sep 7, 2018, 8:15 am
Last edit by: tbm13
Are you trying to change your BA password and having difficulty doing so? For some suggestions, go to this wikipost.
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On Thursday 6 September 2018 at about 1830 London time (UTC+1), BA announced that there had been a data breach involving customers using the BA website and the BA mobile app.
Updates from BA are being posted to this ba.com page: https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...st-information
A further update dated 25 October 2018 can be found in this post 1377. The SPG Law class action thread can be found here.
As at 1400 London time on Tuesday 11 September 2018, the body of that page read:-
That is followed by a series of FAQs. These are reproduced at the end of this wikipost.
If you are experiencing difficulties in changing your BA password or want further information about doing so, some information is in this thread: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...rd-ba-com.html (which also has a wikipost).
Reports from FTers suggest that credit card companies and banks are taking differing approaches to this incident:-
As of Wednesday 12th September, affected customers are being emailed with the following additional information
Note that the email from BA gives you a personal "Activation Code". However, when you get to the signup forms for ProtectMyID, you put the code into the second page of the sign up form in the "Promotional Code" field.
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On Thursday 6 September 2018 at about 1830 London time (UTC+1), BA announced that there had been a data breach involving customers using the BA website and the BA mobile app.
Updates from BA are being posted to this ba.com page: https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...st-information
A further update dated 25 October 2018 can be found in this post 1377. The SPG Law class action thread can be found here.
As at 1400 London time on Tuesday 11 September 2018, the body of that page read:-
Customer data theft
We are investigating, as a matter of urgency, the theft of customer data between 22:58 BST August 21 2018 until 21:45 BST September 5 2018 from our website, ba.com, and our mobile app.
The stolen data included personal and financial details of customers making bookings and changes on ba.com and the airline’s app. The data did not include travel or passport details.
The theft has been reported to the authorities and our website is now working normally.
What to do if you have been affected
If you believe you may have been affected because you made a booking or paid to change to your booking with a credit or debit card on ba.com or the mobile app between 22:58 BST August 21 2018 until 21:45 BST September 5 2018, we recommend you contact your bank or credit card provider and follow their advice.
We understand that this incident will cause concern and inconvenience. We are contacting all affected customers to say sorry, and we will continue to update them in the coming days.
Phishing
Customers should also be aware that fraudsters may be claiming to be British Airways and attempt to gather personal information by deception (known as 'phishing').
We will not be contacting any customers asking for payment card details and any such requests should be reported to the police and relevant authorities.
See below for more information on how to validate that the email you have received from us is genuine.
We are investigating, as a matter of urgency, the theft of customer data between 22:58 BST August 21 2018 until 21:45 BST September 5 2018 from our website, ba.com, and our mobile app.
The stolen data included personal and financial details of customers making bookings and changes on ba.com and the airline’s app. The data did not include travel or passport details.
The theft has been reported to the authorities and our website is now working normally.
What to do if you have been affected
If you believe you may have been affected because you made a booking or paid to change to your booking with a credit or debit card on ba.com or the mobile app between 22:58 BST August 21 2018 until 21:45 BST September 5 2018, we recommend you contact your bank or credit card provider and follow their advice.
We understand that this incident will cause concern and inconvenience. We are contacting all affected customers to say sorry, and we will continue to update them in the coming days.
Phishing
Customers should also be aware that fraudsters may be claiming to be British Airways and attempt to gather personal information by deception (known as 'phishing').
We will not be contacting any customers asking for payment card details and any such requests should be reported to the police and relevant authorities.
See below for more information on how to validate that the email you have received from us is genuine.
If you are experiencing difficulties in changing your BA password or want further information about doing so, some information is in this thread: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...rd-ba-com.html (which also has a wikipost).
Reports from FTers suggest that credit card companies and banks are taking differing approaches to this incident:-
- American Express - A recorded message says they are aware of the breach, there is no need to take any further action and if you suffer any financial loss you will be fully compensated; an email says: "There is no action you need to take – we will contact you immediately if there's any unusual activity with your Account. In the meantime you can continue to use your Card as normal" (see post 293, post 401, post 470 and post 491).
- Barclaycard - They just assured me I was fully protected, and I didn't need to do anything yet (see post 253); however at 18.20 on 7/9/18 the customer service helpline automated message says that affected cards are being reissued (see post 511).
- Barclays Bank - They have contacted people they believe to have been affected, and have blocked their cards from online use (website/app), but the cards remain valid for physical (chip & PIN) transactions in shops, ATMs etc. New cards being dispatched "within a week" (see post 918).
- Capital One - online transactions being blocked, new cards being issued (see post 493).
- Chase (British Airways visa) - no contact from Chase about data breach and card still working
- HSBC Premier Mastercard - Offering customers the option to freeze the card or replace it with a new card (see post 274).
- Lloyds - Said "wait and see", but did give the option to cancel the card and have it reissued (see post 403).
- Lloyds Mastercard - Based on the information they have, fraudulent use of my card is unlikely, just keep an eye on online banking and report anything suspicious (see post 370).
- Monzo - Automatically replacing all cards (see post 371).
- Natwest- Of the opinion that as there had been no fraudulent activity on my account to just keep an eye on things, and to call immediately if any suspicious transactions appear and fraud team would refund (post 315).
- Sainsburys Bank - seem to be replacing all cards proactively (see post 968)
- Starling - Automatically replacing cards (see post 460).
- Tesco Bank - Pro-actively sending a new card as per details in this post (post 484)
- TSB - Call the Telephone Banking Team on 03459 758758 to discuss further (see post 437).
- Vanquis - online transactions being blocked, new cards being issued (see post 493).
Have I been affected?
How do I know if I have been affected?
Customers who made bookings or changes to their bookings on ba.com or our mobile app between 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 and 21:45 BST September 5, 2018 may have been affected.
We advise any customers who believe they may have been affected to contact their banks or credit card providers and follow their advice.
We are experiencing high call volumes into our contact centres so please continue to check this page for the latest information.
Contact us
What data has been lost?
The personal and financial details of customers making bookings on ba.com and our mobile app between 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 and 21:45 BST September 5, 2018 was compromised. No passport or travel details were stolen. Only customers who made bookings between these dates are affected.
Names, billing address, email address and all bank card details were all at risk.
Did this affect just new bookings or any payment transaction made within the impacted time period?
All payment transactions made on ba.com or our mobile app from 22:58 BST August 21 2018 to 21:45 September 5 2018 inclusive were affected. Nothing before or after these dates and times was impacted. Payments made through our call centres, travel agents or online travel sites are not affected.
Are my saved payment card details safe if they were used to make a booking in that period?
If you made a payment using a saved card on ba.com or the mobile app from 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 to 21:45 September 5, 2018 inclusive, you may have been impacted.
No Executive Club accounts were compromised in the data theft. There is no impact to Avios or details stored with the British Airways Executive Club.
Has saved credit card data been stolen, even if a booking hasn’t been made in that period?
No, saved payment card data has not been compromised. However, if you made a payment using a saved card on ba.com or the mobile app from 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 to 21:45 September 5, 2018 inclusive, you may have been impacted.
How were phone numbers not affected?
Phone number information is collected in a separate part of the booking process and is not used as part of the payment transaction therefore this has not been impacted.
I used PayPal to pay for my ba.com transaction. Is this impacted?
If you booked through PayPal, your PayPal account will not have been compromised. There does remain the risk that some of your personal information such as your name and address may have been accessed. No passport details or travel details were compromised.
Is Apple Pay affected?
If you used Apple Pay via the mobile app then your data will not have been compromised.
I had a failed payment attempt during the affected time period – am I affected?
If you clicked the pay button on ba.com then the transaction would have taken place even if the outcome was unsuccessful and the data would have been compromised.
We advise any concerned customers to contact their banks or credit card providers and follow their advice.
Will I be affected if I made a free change to my booking but my payment card details were saved in the reservation?
If you made a free change to your booking via ba.com and did not use your payment card as part of that transaction, then you will not have been impacted.
Are travel agent bookings affected?
Only bookings or changes to bookings made directly with ba.com or the mobile app between 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 and 21:45 BST September 5, 2018 were affected.
If a change was made to a travel agent booking on ba.com and payment made for an additional product, such as seat reservations or excess baggage, then these would be affected.
Does this affect Executive Club accounts in any way? i.e. missing Avios/ Tier Points
No accounts were compromised in the data theft. There is no impact to Avios or details stored with the British Airways Executive Club.
I received an email about the data theft, however I only cancelled a booking during this time – will I be affected?
If you cancelled and refunded your booking between 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 and 21:45 September 5, 2018, you will not have been impacted.
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What should I do if I think I am affected?
Should I call my bank or cancel my credit cards?
We recommend that all customers who made bookings or changes to their bookings with ba.com or the mobile app, between 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 and 21:45 BST September 5, 2018, contact their banks or credit card providers and follow their advice.
I think my card was compromised when I made a booking on ba.com outside of the time period – what should I do?
The data theft relates to customer bookings made or changed between 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 and 21:45 September 5, 2018 only.
We advise any concerned customers to contact their banks or credit card providers and follow their advice.
How would I know if I have been a victim of identity theft?
There are a number of signs to look out for that may indicate that you might have been a victim of identity theft:-
If you are concerned about an email, we recommend that you don't click on any links, open any documents or reply to it until you have looked into it further.
Official emails relating to this theft will be sent from: [email protected]. You should hover over the sent email address to confirm this is where the email has been sent from before clicking on it.
British Airways will never proactively contact you to request your personal or confidential information. If you ever receive an email or call, claiming to be from us, requesting this information, please report it to us straight away.
We've put the details of the scams we're aware of on our ba.com website security page. There's also security essentials information to help you, along with details of how to report any new scams to us (or other emails/calls that have concerned you).
Will I be reimbursed?
We take the protection of our customers’ data seriously and are very sorry for the concern that this criminal activity has caused.
We will continue to keep our customers updated with the very latest information.
No customer will be out of pocket as a direct result of the criminal theft of data from ba.com and the airline’s mobile app. Any customer who made a booking between 22:58 BST August 21 2018 and 21:45 BST September 5 2018 will be reimbursed for any fraudulent activity on their accounts as a direct result of the data theft and we shall advise the process for this in due course.
We will be offering a 12-month credit rating monitoring service to any affected customer who is concerned about an impact to their credit rating, provided by specialists in the field and will share details of this in the near future.
Will BA pay for costs associated with getting new cards, e.g. postage costs?
No customer will be out of pocket as a direct result of the criminal theft of data from ba.com and the airline’s mobile app. We are working through the process and will update our customers as soon as we can.
How do I reset my ba.com password?
ba.com and Executive Club accounts have not been compromised and your login details are safe.
However, if you’d like to change your password, first ensure you are logged out of ba.com and click the Forgotten Pin/Password link on the top right-hand corner of the homepage. We recommend you choose a unique password that you do not use for any other online account.
We are aware of some customers experiencing intermittent issues when attempting to reset their passwords. We are working on resolving this as quickly as possible.
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How does this affect my bookings?
What shall I do if I am due to travel today?
The incident has been resolved and all systems are working normally so customers due to travel can check-in online as normal.
Will I still be able to check in?
Yes, all customers booked on our flights will be able to check in as normal.
Will this affect any future bookings?
The incident has been resolved and ba.com is working normally so future bookings will not be affected.
Will bookings made over the period of this incident remain confirmed?
Yes, all bookings made remain valid for travel.
If I cancelled the card my booking was made with what do I need to bring to the airport?
The payment card that was used to pay for the booking should be brought to the airport if you are the owner of the card and are travelling. However, if the payment card has expired since the booking was made and you have a new card, or you don't have the original card used for payment, please print out a copy of your flight itinerary from Manage my Booking.
I have now cancelled my credit card, but I had used that card to make a future flight booking, so how will I be able to access that booking?
You do not need to enter your payment card details when retrieving an existing booking via Manage My Booking on ba.com, so access to future booking is not restricted due to the cancellation of the payment card.
How do I know if I have been affected?
Customers who made bookings or changes to their bookings on ba.com or our mobile app between 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 and 21:45 BST September 5, 2018 may have been affected.
We advise any customers who believe they may have been affected to contact their banks or credit card providers and follow their advice.
We are experiencing high call volumes into our contact centres so please continue to check this page for the latest information.
Contact us
What data has been lost?
The personal and financial details of customers making bookings on ba.com and our mobile app between 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 and 21:45 BST September 5, 2018 was compromised. No passport or travel details were stolen. Only customers who made bookings between these dates are affected.
Names, billing address, email address and all bank card details were all at risk.
Did this affect just new bookings or any payment transaction made within the impacted time period?
All payment transactions made on ba.com or our mobile app from 22:58 BST August 21 2018 to 21:45 September 5 2018 inclusive were affected. Nothing before or after these dates and times was impacted. Payments made through our call centres, travel agents or online travel sites are not affected.
Are my saved payment card details safe if they were used to make a booking in that period?
If you made a payment using a saved card on ba.com or the mobile app from 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 to 21:45 September 5, 2018 inclusive, you may have been impacted.
No Executive Club accounts were compromised in the data theft. There is no impact to Avios or details stored with the British Airways Executive Club.
Has saved credit card data been stolen, even if a booking hasn’t been made in that period?
No, saved payment card data has not been compromised. However, if you made a payment using a saved card on ba.com or the mobile app from 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 to 21:45 September 5, 2018 inclusive, you may have been impacted.
How were phone numbers not affected?
Phone number information is collected in a separate part of the booking process and is not used as part of the payment transaction therefore this has not been impacted.
I used PayPal to pay for my ba.com transaction. Is this impacted?
If you booked through PayPal, your PayPal account will not have been compromised. There does remain the risk that some of your personal information such as your name and address may have been accessed. No passport details or travel details were compromised.
Is Apple Pay affected?
If you used Apple Pay via the mobile app then your data will not have been compromised.
I had a failed payment attempt during the affected time period – am I affected?
If you clicked the pay button on ba.com then the transaction would have taken place even if the outcome was unsuccessful and the data would have been compromised.
We advise any concerned customers to contact their banks or credit card providers and follow their advice.
Will I be affected if I made a free change to my booking but my payment card details were saved in the reservation?
If you made a free change to your booking via ba.com and did not use your payment card as part of that transaction, then you will not have been impacted.
Are travel agent bookings affected?
Only bookings or changes to bookings made directly with ba.com or the mobile app between 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 and 21:45 BST September 5, 2018 were affected.
If a change was made to a travel agent booking on ba.com and payment made for an additional product, such as seat reservations or excess baggage, then these would be affected.
Does this affect Executive Club accounts in any way? i.e. missing Avios/ Tier Points
No accounts were compromised in the data theft. There is no impact to Avios or details stored with the British Airways Executive Club.
I received an email about the data theft, however I only cancelled a booking during this time – will I be affected?
If you cancelled and refunded your booking between 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 and 21:45 September 5, 2018, you will not have been impacted.
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What should I do if I think I am affected?
Should I call my bank or cancel my credit cards?
We recommend that all customers who made bookings or changes to their bookings with ba.com or the mobile app, between 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 and 21:45 BST September 5, 2018, contact their banks or credit card providers and follow their advice.
I think my card was compromised when I made a booking on ba.com outside of the time period – what should I do?
The data theft relates to customer bookings made or changed between 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 and 21:45 September 5, 2018 only.
We advise any concerned customers to contact their banks or credit card providers and follow their advice.
How would I know if I have been a victim of identity theft?
There are a number of signs to look out for that may indicate that you might have been a victim of identity theft:-
- Post from your bank or utility provider doesn’t arrive.
- You apply for state benefits, but are told you are already claiming.
- Refused financial services, credit cards or a loan, despite having a good credit rating.
- Receiving letters in your name from solicitors or debt collectors for debts that aren’t yours.
- Request a copy of your credit file to check for any suspicious credit applications.
- Report the theft of personal information and suspicious credit applications to the police and ask for a crime reference number.
- If fraud has been committed, contact Action Fraud.
If you are concerned about an email, we recommend that you don't click on any links, open any documents or reply to it until you have looked into it further.
Official emails relating to this theft will be sent from: [email protected]. You should hover over the sent email address to confirm this is where the email has been sent from before clicking on it.
British Airways will never proactively contact you to request your personal or confidential information. If you ever receive an email or call, claiming to be from us, requesting this information, please report it to us straight away.
We've put the details of the scams we're aware of on our ba.com website security page. There's also security essentials information to help you, along with details of how to report any new scams to us (or other emails/calls that have concerned you).
Will I be reimbursed?
We take the protection of our customers’ data seriously and are very sorry for the concern that this criminal activity has caused.
We will continue to keep our customers updated with the very latest information.
No customer will be out of pocket as a direct result of the criminal theft of data from ba.com and the airline’s mobile app. Any customer who made a booking between 22:58 BST August 21 2018 and 21:45 BST September 5 2018 will be reimbursed for any fraudulent activity on their accounts as a direct result of the data theft and we shall advise the process for this in due course.
We will be offering a 12-month credit rating monitoring service to any affected customer who is concerned about an impact to their credit rating, provided by specialists in the field and will share details of this in the near future.
Will BA pay for costs associated with getting new cards, e.g. postage costs?
No customer will be out of pocket as a direct result of the criminal theft of data from ba.com and the airline’s mobile app. We are working through the process and will update our customers as soon as we can.
How do I reset my ba.com password?
ba.com and Executive Club accounts have not been compromised and your login details are safe.
However, if you’d like to change your password, first ensure you are logged out of ba.com and click the Forgotten Pin/Password link on the top right-hand corner of the homepage. We recommend you choose a unique password that you do not use for any other online account.
We are aware of some customers experiencing intermittent issues when attempting to reset their passwords. We are working on resolving this as quickly as possible.
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How does this affect my bookings?
What shall I do if I am due to travel today?
The incident has been resolved and all systems are working normally so customers due to travel can check-in online as normal.
Will I still be able to check in?
Yes, all customers booked on our flights will be able to check in as normal.
Will this affect any future bookings?
The incident has been resolved and ba.com is working normally so future bookings will not be affected.
Will bookings made over the period of this incident remain confirmed?
Yes, all bookings made remain valid for travel.
If I cancelled the card my booking was made with what do I need to bring to the airport?
The payment card that was used to pay for the booking should be brought to the airport if you are the owner of the card and are travelling. However, if the payment card has expired since the booking was made and you have a new card, or you don't have the original card used for payment, please print out a copy of your flight itinerary from Manage my Booking.
I have now cancelled my credit card, but I had used that card to make a future flight booking, so how will I be able to access that booking?
You do not need to enter your payment card details when retrieving an existing booking via Manage My Booking on ba.com, so access to future booking is not restricted due to the cancellation of the payment card.
We deeply apologise for any worry and inconvenience this criminal activity has caused. For your reassurance, we’re offering you 12 months of free credit and identity monitoring services, provided by Experian, one of the UK’s leading Credit Reference agencies.
Your free ProtectMyID membership
To help you to monitor your personal information for certain signs of potential identity theft, we are offering you a free 12 month membership to Experian ProtectMyID. This service helps detect possible misuse of your personal data and provides you with identity monitoring support, focussed on the identification and resolution of identity theft.
Activating your free ProtectMyID membership
1. Ensure that you sign up for the service by 12 December 2018. Your code expires after this date.
2. Visit the ProtectMyID website to get started.
3. Click on ‘Join ProtectMyID’ (top right-hand side).
4. Enter your details along with the following activation code: XXXXXXXX
This code is unique to you and only available in this email – please keep this email for reference.
Once your membership is activated, you’ll have access to the following features:
1. Unlimited access to your Experian Credit Report.
2. Credit Alerting – an email or text to let you know when certain changes happen on your Experian Credit Report, such as the addition of a new credit search.
3. Access to an Identity Theft Resolution service if you do become a victim of fraud, where you’ll have a dedicated case worker who will support you in resolving fraud that has occurred.
4. If you are at higher risk of fraud, Experian can add protective Cifas registration to your credit report which can help prevent credit being taken in your name. The Cifas Protective Registration service places a flag alongside your name and personal details in the National Fraud Database. Companies and organisations who are signed up as members of the database will see you’re at risk and take extra steps to protect you.
If you have any questions regarding this service, then please contact Experian’s Customer Support Centre on 03444 818182*. They are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm and Saturday, 9am to 5pm.
Your free ProtectMyID membership
To help you to monitor your personal information for certain signs of potential identity theft, we are offering you a free 12 month membership to Experian ProtectMyID. This service helps detect possible misuse of your personal data and provides you with identity monitoring support, focussed on the identification and resolution of identity theft.
Activating your free ProtectMyID membership
1. Ensure that you sign up for the service by 12 December 2018. Your code expires after this date.
2. Visit the ProtectMyID website to get started.
3. Click on ‘Join ProtectMyID’ (top right-hand side).
4. Enter your details along with the following activation code: XXXXXXXX
This code is unique to you and only available in this email – please keep this email for reference.
Once your membership is activated, you’ll have access to the following features:
1. Unlimited access to your Experian Credit Report.
2. Credit Alerting – an email or text to let you know when certain changes happen on your Experian Credit Report, such as the addition of a new credit search.
3. Access to an Identity Theft Resolution service if you do become a victim of fraud, where you’ll have a dedicated case worker who will support you in resolving fraud that has occurred.
4. If you are at higher risk of fraud, Experian can add protective Cifas registration to your credit report which can help prevent credit being taken in your name. The Cifas Protective Registration service places a flag alongside your name and personal details in the National Fraud Database. Companies and organisations who are signed up as members of the database will see you’re at risk and take extra steps to protect you.
If you have any questions regarding this service, then please contact Experian’s Customer Support Centre on 03444 818182*. They are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm and Saturday, 9am to 5pm.
BA Investigating Theft of Personal and Financial Data
Sep 24, 2018, 8:10 am
#1156
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 14
After more than two weeks since I wrote to BA, including a chaser last week, I just received a reply.
it just reiterates all the facts we know, ie date and time of the theft and details taken. And again it reiterates that if I suffered a financial loss as a result, to submit a claim.
Are these people stupid?!? Honestly, I am lost for words at such a standard reply.
1. They know I was affected: they sent me those two emails and can clearly see that I made two bookings during the theft window.
2. I wrote to them weeks ago stating that whilst I had not suffered a financial loss, I was hugely inconvenienced by having to cancel all my cards whilst abroad.
Yet, they take weeks to reply to just restate the facts?!?
Truly shocking customer service. Really makes a mockery of GGL status or any status for that matter.
it just reiterates all the facts we know, ie date and time of the theft and details taken. And again it reiterates that if I suffered a financial loss as a result, to submit a claim.
Are these people stupid?!? Honestly, I am lost for words at such a standard reply.
1. They know I was affected: they sent me those two emails and can clearly see that I made two bookings during the theft window.
2. I wrote to them weeks ago stating that whilst I had not suffered a financial loss, I was hugely inconvenienced by having to cancel all my cards whilst abroad.
Yet, they take weeks to reply to just restate the facts?!?
Truly shocking customer service. Really makes a mockery of GGL status or any status for that matter.
Sep 24, 2018, 8:23 am
#1157
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Roswell, GA
Programs: BA Gold-Virgin Gold-Delta MM-Hilton Diamond-Hyatt Globalist-Marriott Gold-IHG Plat Amb-Accor Nobody
Posts: 259
After more than two weeks since I wrote to BA, including a chaser last week, I just received a reply.
it just reiterates all the facts we know, ie date and time of the theft and details taken. And again it reiterates that if I suffered a financial loss as a result, to submit a claim.
Are these people stupid?!? Honestly, I am lost for words at such a standard reply.
1. They know I was affected: they sent me those two emails and can clearly see that I made two bookings during the theft window.
2. I wrote to them weeks ago stating that whilst I had not suffered a financial loss, I was hugely inconvenienced by having to cancel all my cards whilst abroad.
Yet, they take weeks to reply to just restate the facts?!?
Truly shocking customer service. Really makes a mockery of GGL status or any status for that matter.
it just reiterates all the facts we know, ie date and time of the theft and details taken. And again it reiterates that if I suffered a financial loss as a result, to submit a claim.
Are these people stupid?!? Honestly, I am lost for words at such a standard reply.
1. They know I was affected: they sent me those two emails and can clearly see that I made two bookings during the theft window.
2. I wrote to them weeks ago stating that whilst I had not suffered a financial loss, I was hugely inconvenienced by having to cancel all my cards whilst abroad.
Yet, they take weeks to reply to just restate the facts?!?
Truly shocking customer service. Really makes a mockery of GGL status or any status for that matter.
--
Thanks for your reply. No need to apologize for the delay in responding, I’m sure it takes a long time to copy & paste an answer to 380,000 customers.
It is a shame that you failed to address the core of my complaint, British Airways failure to protect my data.
I understand the benefit to British Airways to consistently refer to this as a theft, which it is. And whilst doing this, give the ‘impression’ that British Airways carries no blame in this matter.
This is not the case. British Airways should PUBLICLY accept some blame (Not Holding my breath on this). If it was ‘easy’ to acquire data of this type, from all airlines online booking system, then it would have happened. However, it hasn’t, it’s only British Airways who failed to protect my data.
I have a duty to protect my household goods, and those of any visitors to my house. As a result, I choose the level of protection, and the amount of investment, that is justified to protect these assets.
British Airways chose the ‘appropriate’ level of security to protect my data and IT WAS NOT SUFFICIENT.
Further, as has been documented online, the manner of the theft was not particularly sophisticated and was as a result of ‘someone’, under the responsibility of British Airways, allowing the injection of a piece of malicious of code without first testing any changes in a safe(sandbox) environment.
It appears that British Airways will not make a good will gesture to those affected, other than to say, “If you’re financially inconvenienced we’ll reimburse you”. What about those of us who have not, as far as we are aware, suffered a direct financial loss (especially as most credit cards cover this), but have lost a significant amount of time, suffered great inconvenience and been subjected to increased stress as a result of handling this issue ? Nothing ?
I think I’m starting to see the value you place on your customers loyalty,
From: British Airways Customer Relations <[email protected]>
Subject: Your Response from BA Customer Relations
Thanks for getting in touch about the recent data theft and please accept my apologies for any inconvenience or concern this may have caused you. I also apologise for the delay in my response.
Our investigations to date confirm the theft occurred from 22:58 (BST) on 21 August 2018 until 21:45 (BST) on 05 September 2018 inclusive. Accordingly, you would only be affected by this if you made, or changed, a booking during this time on ba.com or the mobile app. We want to reassure you that our website and mobile app are now working normally.
The personal information compromised includes name, billing address, email address and all payment card information. This includes your card number, expiry date and CVV. No passport or travel details were stolen. As we wrote to you previously, unfortunately this information could be used to conduct fraudulent transactions using your bank or credit card account. Any passengers on the booking who have payment cards saved with us are not impacted, unless their card was used to make payment for the booking between 22:58 (BST) on 21 August 2018 until 21:45 (BST) on 05 September 2018 inclusive.
In the first instance, please contact your bank or credit card provider and follow their recommended advice.
It’s important you’re not out of pocket as a consequence of the data theft so we have partnered with the banks and credit card providers to ensure you are reimbursed as swiftly as possible. In the first instance, the card provider should be your point of contact to analyse any suspicious payments and make sure you get any funds re-credited as quickly as possible. If you have any incidental costs which are not covered, you should contact us in writing. In order for us to review your claim, please provide us with the following details:
• The booking reference created between 22:58 (BST) on 21 August 2018 until 21:45 (BST) on 05 September 2018.
• The actual date you made your booking.
• The email address and contact number in the booking that was created.
• Any receipts and/or bank statements to support your claim.
Additionally, please could you confirm that you are not making a claim with your bank, credit card provider or any insurance policy you may hold for these same incidental expenses.
You can send us your information by email or post using the following details:
[email protected]
British Airways
Customer Relations (S506)
PO Box 1126
Uxbridge
UB8 9XS
United Kingdom
Please accept our deepest apologies for any inconvenience caused by the criminal activity. We’ll be in touch with you when we’ve received your information. If you have any questions about this, you can reply to this email directly using the blue link below.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best regards
Sep 24, 2018, 8:26 am
#1158
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 14
Yep, same for me. Here's what I just replied to them, with their letter underneath.
--
Thanks for your reply. No need to apologize for the delay in responding, I’m sure it takes a long time to copy & paste an answer to 380,000 customers.
It is a shame that you failed to address the core of my complaint, British Airways failure to protect my data.
I understand the benefit to British Airways to consistently refer to this as a theft, which it is. And whilst doing this, give the ‘impression’ that British Airways carries no blame in this matter.
This is not the case. British Airways should PUBLICLY accept some blame (Not Holding my breath on this). If it was ‘easy’ to acquire data of this type, from all airlines online booking system, then it would have happened. However, it hasn’t, it’s only British Airways who failed to protect my data.
I have a duty to protect my household goods, and those of any visitors to my house. As a result, I choose the level of protection, and the amount of investment, that is justified to protect these assets.
British Airways chose the ‘appropriate’ level of security to protect my data and IT WAS NOT SUFFICIENT.
Further, as has been documented online, the manner of the theft was not particularly sophisticated and was as a result of ‘someone’, under the responsibility of British Airways, allowing the injection of a piece of malicious of code without first testing any changes in a safe(sandbox) environment.
It appears that British Airways will not make a good will gesture to those affected, other than to say, “If you’re financially inconvenienced we’ll reimburse you”. What about those of us who have not, as far as we are aware, suffered a direct financial loss (especially as most credit cards cover this), but have lost a significant amount of time, suffered great inconvenience and been subjected to increased stress as a result of handling this issue ? Nothing ?
I think I’m starting to see the value you place on your customers loyalty,
From: British Airways Customer Relations <[email protected]>
Subject: Your Response from BA Customer Relations
Thanks for getting in touch about the recent data theft and please accept my apologies for any inconvenience or concern this may have caused you. I also apologise for the delay in my response.
Our investigations to date confirm the theft occurred from 22:58 (BST) on 21 August 2018 until 21:45 (BST) on 05 September 2018 inclusive. Accordingly, you would only be affected by this if you made, or changed, a booking during this time on ba.com or the mobile app. We want to reassure you that our website and mobile app are now working normally.
The personal information compromised includes name, billing address, email address and all payment card information. This includes your card number, expiry date and CVV. No passport or travel details were stolen. As we wrote to you previously, unfortunately this information could be used to conduct fraudulent transactions using your bank or credit card account. Any passengers on the booking who have payment cards saved with us are not impacted, unless their card was used to make payment for the booking between 22:58 (BST) on 21 August 2018 until 21:45 (BST) on 05 September 2018 inclusive.
In the first instance, please contact your bank or credit card provider and follow their recommended advice.
It’s important you’re not out of pocket as a consequence of the data theft so we have partnered with the banks and credit card providers to ensure you are reimbursed as swiftly as possible. In the first instance, the card provider should be your point of contact to analyse any suspicious payments and make sure you get any funds re-credited as quickly as possible. If you have any incidental costs which are not covered, you should contact us in writing. In order for us to review your claim, please provide us with the following details:
• The booking reference created between 22:58 (BST) on 21 August 2018 until 21:45 (BST) on 05 September 2018.
• The actual date you made your booking.
• The email address and contact number in the booking that was created.
• Any receipts and/or bank statements to support your claim.
Additionally, please could you confirm that you are not making a claim with your bank, credit card provider or any insurance policy you may hold for these same incidental expenses.
You can send us your information by email or post using the following details:
[email protected]
British Airways
Customer Relations (S506)
PO Box 1126
Uxbridge
UB8 9XS
United Kingdom
Please accept our deepest apologies for any inconvenience caused by the criminal activity. We’ll be in touch with you when we’ve received your information. If you have any questions about this, you can reply to this email directly using the blue link below.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best regards
--
Thanks for your reply. No need to apologize for the delay in responding, I’m sure it takes a long time to copy & paste an answer to 380,000 customers.
It is a shame that you failed to address the core of my complaint, British Airways failure to protect my data.
I understand the benefit to British Airways to consistently refer to this as a theft, which it is. And whilst doing this, give the ‘impression’ that British Airways carries no blame in this matter.
This is not the case. British Airways should PUBLICLY accept some blame (Not Holding my breath on this). If it was ‘easy’ to acquire data of this type, from all airlines online booking system, then it would have happened. However, it hasn’t, it’s only British Airways who failed to protect my data.
I have a duty to protect my household goods, and those of any visitors to my house. As a result, I choose the level of protection, and the amount of investment, that is justified to protect these assets.
British Airways chose the ‘appropriate’ level of security to protect my data and IT WAS NOT SUFFICIENT.
Further, as has been documented online, the manner of the theft was not particularly sophisticated and was as a result of ‘someone’, under the responsibility of British Airways, allowing the injection of a piece of malicious of code without first testing any changes in a safe(sandbox) environment.
It appears that British Airways will not make a good will gesture to those affected, other than to say, “If you’re financially inconvenienced we’ll reimburse you”. What about those of us who have not, as far as we are aware, suffered a direct financial loss (especially as most credit cards cover this), but have lost a significant amount of time, suffered great inconvenience and been subjected to increased stress as a result of handling this issue ? Nothing ?
I think I’m starting to see the value you place on your customers loyalty,
From: British Airways Customer Relations <[email protected]>
Subject: Your Response from BA Customer Relations
Thanks for getting in touch about the recent data theft and please accept my apologies for any inconvenience or concern this may have caused you. I also apologise for the delay in my response.
Our investigations to date confirm the theft occurred from 22:58 (BST) on 21 August 2018 until 21:45 (BST) on 05 September 2018 inclusive. Accordingly, you would only be affected by this if you made, or changed, a booking during this time on ba.com or the mobile app. We want to reassure you that our website and mobile app are now working normally.
The personal information compromised includes name, billing address, email address and all payment card information. This includes your card number, expiry date and CVV. No passport or travel details were stolen. As we wrote to you previously, unfortunately this information could be used to conduct fraudulent transactions using your bank or credit card account. Any passengers on the booking who have payment cards saved with us are not impacted, unless their card was used to make payment for the booking between 22:58 (BST) on 21 August 2018 until 21:45 (BST) on 05 September 2018 inclusive.
In the first instance, please contact your bank or credit card provider and follow their recommended advice.
It’s important you’re not out of pocket as a consequence of the data theft so we have partnered with the banks and credit card providers to ensure you are reimbursed as swiftly as possible. In the first instance, the card provider should be your point of contact to analyse any suspicious payments and make sure you get any funds re-credited as quickly as possible. If you have any incidental costs which are not covered, you should contact us in writing. In order for us to review your claim, please provide us with the following details:
• The booking reference created between 22:58 (BST) on 21 August 2018 until 21:45 (BST) on 05 September 2018.
• The actual date you made your booking.
• The email address and contact number in the booking that was created.
• Any receipts and/or bank statements to support your claim.
Additionally, please could you confirm that you are not making a claim with your bank, credit card provider or any insurance policy you may hold for these same incidental expenses.
You can send us your information by email or post using the following details:
[email protected]
British Airways
Customer Relations (S506)
PO Box 1126
Uxbridge
UB8 9XS
United Kingdom
Please accept our deepest apologies for any inconvenience caused by the criminal activity. We’ll be in touch with you when we’ve received your information. If you have any questions about this, you can reply to this email directly using the blue link below.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best regards
i have replied too, in a similar vein to your note. I am not holding my breath that anything will actually happen as a result.
i am honestly truly shocked.
Sep 24, 2018, 8:31 am
#1159
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Roswell, GA
Programs: BA Gold-Virgin Gold-Delta MM-Hilton Diamond-Hyatt Globalist-Marriott Gold-IHG Plat Amb-Accor Nobody
Posts: 259
The reply you received is EXACTLY the same as I received, word for word. They are just doing a copy and paste exercise. It’s utterly shocking.
i have replied too, in a similar vein to your note. I am not holding my breath that anything will actually happen as a result.
i am honestly truly shocked.
Sep 24, 2018, 8:34 am
#1160
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 14
I bet this is what has happened! What really gets me is that they must think we are really stupid!!!! Arrrrrgh
Sep 24, 2018, 8:45 am
#1161
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA GfL, Marriott PlatfL/Ambassador, TP Gold, IHG Spire
Posts: 1,656
If you suffered any financial loss due to this, submit it to BA. Otherwise ... what exactly is that you want ?
Sep 24, 2018, 8:56 am
#1162
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Oxon, UK
Programs: Mucci des canapes, Skywards Gold, BAEC Gold, IC Plat Amb, Accor Gold
Posts: 1,948
A number have clearly indicated the amount of time that they have spent sorting out issues arising from BAs failure to safeguard their data. The thing that annoys me is the constant fall back to scripted responses which give the clear impression that BA actually don't give a monkeys and that they are following their usual approach of making it so difficult for anyone to gain redress for any issue that many just give up.
I am more than happy to let some lawyers spend their time dealing with BA on my behalf as I think they are more likely to get something than I am and my blood pressure won't be raised by spending hours going to and fro with BAs obstructive replies. Well worth 35% of a few hundred quid.
Sep 24, 2018, 8:56 am
#1163
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Roswell, GA
Programs: BA Gold-Virgin Gold-Delta MM-Hilton Diamond-Hyatt Globalist-Marriott Gold-IHG Plat Amb-Accor Nobody
Posts: 259
If something I do as a business owner causes one of my clients significant inconvenience or time required to attend to matters that detract from their normal activities, I look to do 'something' that shows my regret for the trouble I've caused and that I truly value their continued business. Could that be as simple as buying them lunch ? or making a personal effort to call him and directly answer any concerns he may have (not send a stock copy n paste response) ? May be ....
It's not up to me to suggest what BA should do, but NOTHING is far from acceptable. And continued messaging of "it's not our fault" is laughable.
Sep 24, 2018, 9:23 am
#1164
Join Date: May 2006
Location: 5 miles from EMA
Programs: BD, BAEC Pleb, VS Pleb, Accor Pleb, HHonors Gold, Big White Season Pass
Posts: 5,901
Either way, it’s laughable.
Sep 24, 2018, 9:56 am
#1165
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 6,349
Not exactly material, bearing in mind the bits in red are replaced with actual date and name and therefore not integral to the agreement.
Sep 24, 2018, 10:40 am
#1167
Join Date: Sep 2017
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 3
As luck would have it (or not), I got caught up in this fiasco by booking flights online during the breach. I used a BA Amex as I usually do and contrary to advice I decided to cancel it and get a new one issued. It took a few days but luckily didn't have any adverse effects. However, a few days ago I received a marketing email pertaining to be from Amex containing the usual regular offers. On first glance it looked normal and I clicked on one of the links - which took me to some unknown corporate website login page (or so it seemed). When I looked at the email again things didn't look quite right (resolution was slightly questionable) and the account number (last few digits) happened to be for my old (cancelled) card. I forwarded this email onto the phishing/fraud team at Amex but haven't heard anything from them yet so I've no idea whether it was a result of the BA breach or not.
Anyone else had anything like this?
Anyone else had anything like this?
Sep 24, 2018, 11:34 am
#1168
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: LON
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 3,908
I have put in a data subject access request asking BA to provide a copy of all the data they hold about me and clearly identify in the data dump they provide back to me the exact data that was lost to unknown 3rd parties in the breach.
Sep 24, 2018, 12:24 pm
#1169
Join Date: Jul 2012
Programs: BAEC Gold, Hilton Diamond, SPG Gold, IHG Platinum Ambassador, Club Carlson Gold
Posts: 349
