French Lick Resort issued a notice to customers on Tuesday January 27, 2015 that a breach in its system may have compromised the credit cards of its guests and visitors for the past nine months. The resort stated that it found malware in its credit card payment system this month which could affect cards used as payment as far back as April 23, 2014.
Unfortunately, French Lick Resort now joins the ranks of many other businesses like Target, Home Depot, and Wyndam Hotels that have been the subject of data breaches leaving customers at risk for identity theft. The Federal Trade Commission offers suggestions to consumers to reduce the risk of identity theft such as:
- Be vigilant about who can gain access to your personal information. Don’t just put your bank statements and credit card bills in the trash–shred them!
- Review your credit card statements and monitor your credit report for any suspicious activity. You can get a free credit report each year by visiting annualcreditreport.com.
- Protect yourself further by placing a fraud alert on your credit report. Doing this will require potential new creditors to contact you to confirm your identity and intent to apply for credit.
Consumers have filed class action lawsuits against retailers like Target and Home Depot for failing to protect personal information that is delivered through credit card payment processing systems. For more information about consumer protection lawsuits visit our class action litigation page.