BigLar

Just got an email from BA with an e-ticket receipt, showing an itinerary tomorrow, business class, Shanghai to Los Angeles. Hmmm.

After a frantic call to BAEC, I got the flight cancelled. Now I have to change my password. Hmmm.

If the hacker has all my account info, won't he be able to log in and get a changed password, just like me? He already has my name and other details, and added his girlfriend to the Friends & Family section, so he's pretty much able to do what he wants with my account, including, I suppose, changing the email address so I don't see what he's doing in the future.

Any suggestions?

Jaimito Cartero

Tobias-UK

flyingmonkie

If you haven't already then also change your email password and enable two factor authentication wherever you can.

BigLar

I did that. It's a lot stronger than my old one.

I'm not sure I can change the account number, but I suppose I can call BA tomorrow (with, hopefully, native English speakers) and ask about that.

marshy11

I don't have much to add, but definitely change your email password, then the BAEC password. To be absolutely certainl I would run something like Malewarebytes (free) on your system to be absolutely sure you haven't got any nasties on your machine.

Hopefully the hacker hasn't got your credit card info too....perhaps a call/check with Amex and any other cards may be prudent.

SQTraveller

First, kudos to you for checking your BA account and seeing this.
I concur with both these points. Remember that a strong password should use a mix of numbers, letters and symbols.
I believe it is possible to ask your bank to put your account on some kind of special alert for fraud, but this could inconvenience you as it might slow down transactions.

I am sure if you are concerned about your account, you can go ahead and ask BA to create a new account number for you. But, bear in mind that the fraudster potentially has all your contact information. If you have another address, like a family member, you could use that as your new address.

best wishes to you.

babats

If somebody has added their girlfriend to your F&F section is sounds like it could have been a genuine error somewhere, rather than something deliberate. If BA have cancelled the ticket there may be an irate passenger turning up tomorrow asking what's happened to their booking.

I can see the FT heading - I've been hacked - somebody's cancelled my booking!

onobond

Like being Shanghaied?

thebigben

I have to be pedantic about this cause it's my job. Not only adding symbols and numbers could make it more difficult to remember, but it, in itself, does very little to make a password harder to guess. There's only two things that can help you reliably:
- Using a password manager (I recommend KeepassX)
- Using long passphrases.The more characters you add, the stronger it gets. A few uncommon words or a phrase that doesn't make sense to anyone but you would be a good idea.

Nicc HK

The scammers a long time ago moved into value added programmes like airline rewards, seeing them as a relatively soft touch, and I do not think the airlines adequately address it. When I got a phising email claiming to be from an airline's programme I was not even a member of, I immediately informed that airline. Guess what zero response, even when I followed up. Pathetic.

The issues are:

1. Airline IT Departments seem to be quite poor compared to other industries. Recent security lapses back this up, Which is weird given it is a tech industry.
2. Regulators do not hold many organisations to the same standards required as Banks and Financial institutions.
3. Users tend not to think there is an issue with rewards programmes because it is hard to understand how they can be scammed.

But the first line of defence is your own eyes. The phishing emails are exceptionally 'lifelike' but can be spotted.

I hope the OP gets everything sorted.

snaxmuppet

Not much to add really except I'd also change your bank online passwords to strong ones too and anything else that has a similar password to the hacked one.

I'd also recommend using a good password manager such as LastPass. It allows you to generate strong passwords for all your online logins and stores them encrypted and securely allowing you to access them from PC, tablet or phone at any time. It also has a handy feature to automatically change passwords on your important accounts so you don't have to go and do it manually.

I have no connection with LastPass but since I started using it I have much more piece of mind.

BTW LastPass has a family option that allows you to securly share certain passwords to other members of your family so if you change it you don't have to tell everyone.

Love it!

Tafflyer

Was your BA account password unique, or the same as you use for other sites?

In any case, since you do not yet know where the source of the hack was, I strongly recommend you change ALL passwords you use for online access to any systems. There is also the (theoretical) possibility that software has been inserted on your computer to track password changes, so if possible have your computer completely wiped and reinstalled. This may sound like an overreaction, and it might be, but the truth is that this is the only way to remove all possibilities.

Did you keep track of the names and other details of who the flight bookings were made for? This can be useful for police to track down who the booking was made for and then on to find the hacker. Report this immediately too to allow that to happen.

Nicc HK

Don't forget the hack could have been via a mobile phone. This is one device which is under-protected. I personally never do anything via my mobile even though I use anti-virus software and encryption on mine.

People also are heavy users of social media on phones which is a bad guys nirvana.

roberino

Am I right in thinking that the only issue was the flight appearing in your BAEC account? No money gone from your CC and no miles gone from your account? That could just be an agent entering a digit or two from his BAEC number wrong, or you and the him having the same/similar names. You should, of course, change passwords, etc. as a precaution but it seems like you being hacked is the worst case conclusion you could have arrived at.