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
Nov 16, 2018, 3:30 am
#1591
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,797
Well possibly, but that doesn't mean they won't set up the best defensive position they can. Which precludes saying "it was our fault, have some compensation".
It is certainly the case they were the victim of a criminal attack, that's self-evident. It appears that a script was modified and then made live, which suggests poor access control. However were the access to have been granted by an insider, that would be arguably outside their control (and a criminal act). If it was using a backdoor or policies on user identification and review were inadequate or not followed, that would be arguably within their control.
It is certainly the case they were the victim of a criminal attack, that's self-evident. It appears that a script was modified and then made live, which suggests poor access control. However were the access to have been granted by an insider, that would be arguably outside their control (and a criminal act). If it was using a backdoor or policies on user identification and review were inadequate or not followed, that would be arguably within their control.
Nov 16, 2018, 3:31 am
#1592
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Asia
Posts: 30
Not being a regular poster I feel a certain sadness by coming here just to add to the list.
Like many of you, I had booked reward flights during the "breach" period and received the same automated email. My (challenger) bank immediately cancelled the card and mailed a new one. This of course didn't arrive in time as I was off on a multi-leg trip around Asia—not the end of the world but a thorn in my side nonetheless.
Skip forward to today and I have a series of declined transactions in locations across Europe on said compromised card.
Given I have not used the card anywhere else and the dates correspond, BA's claim of no "conclusive evidence" of fraud seems absurd.
Like many of you, I am disturbed more by the attitude and response to this mess than the clearly inept members of said engineering team.
Like many of you, I had booked reward flights during the "breach" period and received the same automated email. My (challenger) bank immediately cancelled the card and mailed a new one. This of course didn't arrive in time as I was off on a multi-leg trip around Asia—not the end of the world but a thorn in my side nonetheless.
Skip forward to today and I have a series of declined transactions in locations across Europe on said compromised card.
Given I have not used the card anywhere else and the dates correspond, BA's claim of no "conclusive evidence" of fraud seems absurd.
Like many of you, I am disturbed more by the attitude and response to this mess than the clearly inept members of said engineering team.
Nov 16, 2018, 3:35 am
#1593
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: BAEC GGL/CR; Hilton Diamond; Mucci des Puccis
Posts: 5,573
Anything involving financial data is usually subject to at least four eye checking at a minimum to avoid that sort of issue. If you don't do that and get caught, let alone have an actual breach, you're in big trouble. I'm fairly certain that wont be accepted as an excuse.
Nov 16, 2018, 3:56 am
#1594
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: in your favourite lounge, clearing the whole buffet
Programs: LH Maximizer of the year, BA Blue Label killer
Posts: 1,001
My German issued Visa from which I have booked one Avios flight has been victim of CC theft yesterday.
Let's see if what kind of compensation they offer...
Let's see if what kind of compensation they offer...
Nov 16, 2018, 4:34 am
#1595
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 6,349
Nov 16, 2018, 7:10 am
#1596
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: London, ARN, HEL, ..... or MAN
Programs: BA GGL / GFL, Mucci Diamond!, HH Diamond, Radisson Premium, IHG Gold, Hertz Gold
Posts: 5,873
Yes, it's pretty clear that BA has decided at a corporate level to offer no compensation to those affected. At the moment this is a business decision made by them and it's totally their prerogative to act in this way.
If they are proved to be liable under GDPR for the breach, then they will be legally required to provide compensation (type and amount) not defined, even where no monetary loss has occurred. Whether this payment of compensation happens automatically to those affected if BA is found liable or whether customers have to sue for it isn't clear.
My view (and I know that @bisonrav disagrees with me on this point) is that irrespective of the outcome of any legal investigation, BA will need a significant percentage of its frequent flyers to continue to choose to fly with them at the same (or ideally for BA) greater level of spend than before, in order to keep revenues healthy after all of the publicity of a court case. As we all know, it takes a lot more effort to get a new customer than to keep an existing one. And BA already knows who are their high-spending customers and which of those has been impacted by the breach.
Speaking formally from a sample size of one (but also with some anecdotes from colleagues and friends), I think that from the customer perspective, BA has gone significantly downhill in my estimation by the way they are handling this. As I said before, they're within their rights to do so, but eventually they're going to need the support of their frequent flyers if they're not going to take a dip in revenue, or have to do more discounting than planned once the court case is back in the public eye.
@bisonrav has been clear in their view that BA may be worried about the cost of making customer gestures at this stage. My view is that the cost of not doing so could well be greater in the medium term for BA through depressed revenues for a time. Either way BA can make a gesture without any suggestion of admission of liability.
If they are proved to be liable under GDPR for the breach, then they will be legally required to provide compensation (type and amount) not defined, even where no monetary loss has occurred. Whether this payment of compensation happens automatically to those affected if BA is found liable or whether customers have to sue for it isn't clear.
My view (and I know that @bisonrav disagrees with me on this point) is that irrespective of the outcome of any legal investigation, BA will need a significant percentage of its frequent flyers to continue to choose to fly with them at the same (or ideally for BA) greater level of spend than before, in order to keep revenues healthy after all of the publicity of a court case. As we all know, it takes a lot more effort to get a new customer than to keep an existing one. And BA already knows who are their high-spending customers and which of those has been impacted by the breach.
Speaking formally from a sample size of one (but also with some anecdotes from colleagues and friends), I think that from the customer perspective, BA has gone significantly downhill in my estimation by the way they are handling this. As I said before, they're within their rights to do so, but eventually they're going to need the support of their frequent flyers if they're not going to take a dip in revenue, or have to do more discounting than planned once the court case is back in the public eye.
@bisonrav has been clear in their view that BA may be worried about the cost of making customer gestures at this stage. My view is that the cost of not doing so could well be greater in the medium term for BA through depressed revenues for a time. Either way BA can make a gesture without any suggestion of admission of liability.
Nov 16, 2018, 8:26 am
#1597
Join Date: Mar 2018
Programs: BAEC Silver, IHG Ambassador
Posts: 168
Like many of you, I had booked reward flights during the "breach" period and received the same automated email. My (challenger) bank immediately cancelled the card and mailed a new one. This of course didn't arrive in time as I was off on a multi-leg trip around Asia—not the end of the world but a thorn in my side nonetheless.
Skip forward to today and I have a series of declined transactions in locations across Europe on said compromised card.
Given I have not used the card anywhere else and the dates correspond, BA's claim of no "conclusive evidence" of fraud seems absurd.
Skip forward to today and I have a series of declined transactions in locations across Europe on said compromised card.
Given I have not used the card anywhere else and the dates correspond, BA's claim of no "conclusive evidence" of fraud seems absurd.
Nov 16, 2018, 1:45 pm
#1598
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: DWC
Programs: OWS, *A G
Posts: 626
It is not perfectly clear whether my wife's situation is related to the data breach (wife got an email from AMEX but not from BA), but in any caseit raised a question or two in my head. Sorry if OT.
So wife has been locked out of her account with her identity needing to be verified via a code sent to her email address. Despite over 10 attempts from various browsers, with and without VPN, before and after emptying cache, the email never gets sent to her mailbox.
She is not a techie (to be mild) so she rings up BAEC and asks for me to be added to her account so that I can ring on her behalf, CS says this is only possible online. Wife explains the lock-out issue, CS doesn't budge and they suggest they would (try to) resolve the issue over the phone. After an hour we give up and HUACA. We end up with a really bright BAEC CS rep who is actually listening to what the problem is. After being put on hold a few times, the rep provides an email address the missus would need to email her passport copy to BA.
I raise to the guy that I'm no fan of sharing sensitive personal details over unencrypted email and I'd prefer uploading the document into their document centre (which I have used before on account of a BAEC account name change). After being put on hold again the answer is not possible and the email is safe. Without intention to sound cynical I suggested it didn't sound particularly credible in light of the recent hacks. The rep was emphatic to my position but said this was the policy.
I asked for an escalation channel and I was given the phone number of customer relations. But only from 1-5pm Mondays to Fridays.
Alternatively of course she could lodge a complaint online, but then again she is locked out of her account.
So the question is - am I OTT regarding personal documents being sent in email?
So wife has been locked out of her account with her identity needing to be verified via a code sent to her email address. Despite over 10 attempts from various browsers, with and without VPN, before and after emptying cache, the email never gets sent to her mailbox.
She is not a techie (to be mild) so she rings up BAEC and asks for me to be added to her account so that I can ring on her behalf, CS says this is only possible online. Wife explains the lock-out issue, CS doesn't budge and they suggest they would (try to) resolve the issue over the phone. After an hour we give up and HUACA. We end up with a really bright BAEC CS rep who is actually listening to what the problem is. After being put on hold a few times, the rep provides an email address the missus would need to email her passport copy to BA.
I raise to the guy that I'm no fan of sharing sensitive personal details over unencrypted email and I'd prefer uploading the document into their document centre (which I have used before on account of a BAEC account name change). After being put on hold again the answer is not possible and the email is safe. Without intention to sound cynical I suggested it didn't sound particularly credible in light of the recent hacks. The rep was emphatic to my position but said this was the policy.
I asked for an escalation channel and I was given the phone number of customer relations. But only from 1-5pm Mondays to Fridays.
Alternatively of course she could lodge a complaint online, but then again she is locked out of her account.
So the question is - am I OTT regarding personal documents being sent in email?
Nov 17, 2018, 12:37 am
#1601
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond *, IHG, Couples Romance Rewards
Posts: 2,345
Faxes are point to point over the telephone network where employees of BT (used to have - don't know if they still do) have basic background security clearances. If someone is on the other end receiving the fax it used to be seen as quite secure for business transactions. Certainly better than unencrypted email where copies of your message are stored and forwarded who knows where. Sending multiple emails with one piece of information in each one would be one way of doing it; the alternative is to agree to send the 'last 4 digits' of the passport number or other personal ID but again this is not totally ideal.
Nov 17, 2018, 3:01 am
#1602
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 3,833
Faxes are point to point over the telephone network where employees of BT (used to have - don't know if they still do) have basic background security clearances. If someone is on the other end receiving the fax it used to be seen as quite secure for business transactions. Certainly better than unencrypted email where copies of your message are stored and forwarded who knows where. Sending multiple emails with one piece of information in each one would be one way of doing it; the alternative is to agree to send the 'last 4 digits' of the passport number or other personal ID but again this is not totally ideal.
And even if you are using a fax machine, quite a few of the 3 in 1 devices have been subject to malware in recent years.
www.engadget.com/amp/2018/08/20/fax-machine-hack/
Last edited by Kgmm77; Nov 17, 2018 at 3:20 am
Nov 17, 2018, 3:21 pm
#1603
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: DWC
Programs: OWS, *A G
Posts: 626
I was, however, reassured that this was a special email address going directly to the back-office team and that BA’s emails are perfectly safe; I had nothing to worry about. Ha!
I am shocked by this to be honest. Particularly since BA does have a document upload site that can be used to submit supporting documents for things like name changes on a BAEC account.
I’ll be on to Customer Relations on Monday, will advise the outcome.
Last edited by zat_dude; Nov 17, 2018 at 3:22 pm Reason: typo
Nov 18, 2018, 6:40 am
#1604
Join Date: Apr 2018
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 117
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ta-breach.html
Hackers who stole the details of nearly 244,000 British Airways customers in a cyber attack could have raised £9.4million for Russian criminals, it has emerged.
Cyber security experts found the stolen credit card details were put up for sale online for between £6.94 and £38.58.
Magecart, a Russian-linked criminal group, is said to be behind the data breach in August in which 380,000 payments were initially thought to be compromised. The breach was detected 16 days after it began.
Hackers who stole the details of nearly 244,000 British Airways customers in a cyber attack could have raised £9.4million for Russian criminals, it has emerged.
Cyber security experts found the stolen credit card details were put up for sale online for between £6.94 and £38.58.
Magecart, a Russian-linked criminal group, is said to be behind the data breach in August in which 380,000 payments were initially thought to be compromised. The breach was detected 16 days after it began.
Nov 18, 2018, 8:53 am
#1605
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Asia
Posts: 30
One other thing to note is that the account provides disposable virtual cards which you can burn for any and all online transactions, but I haven’t tried these with any air tickets due to the requirement to carry the ‘payment card’. Certainly would have been useful for said award bookings!
