Hacker Prompts Credit Warning To Wyndham Guests

The roughly 21,000 Florida residents whose credit card information may have been accessed by a hacker who got into records of Wyndham Hotels and Resorts last year should monitor their credit reports, the state's attorney general warned today.

In September, the company discovered that hackers obtained credit card numbers and the names of customers at about 40 of the chain's franchises during late July or early August.

So far, the company does not believe any criminal identity theft has occurred, Attorney General Bill McCollum's office said in statement.

The hacker, working through the computer system of one franchisee, was able to get into one of Wyndham's servers and get card holders' names, card numbers, expiration dates and other data on the card's magnetic strip.

The hacker did not get Social Security numbers, addresses or, dates of birth, the company's Web site says.

The hotel chain contacted people whose information may have been compromised and also provided credit card companies with the card numbers that were stolen, the site says.

Still, the attorney general's office warned that residents should report any suspicious activity or contacts on their accounts to law enforcement.

You should also notify banks and creditors of any suspicious activity on your accounts and keep records of all telephone calls and follow up in writing.

The attorney general's office also suggested anyone affected by the security breach to follow the steps suggested on the Wyndham site.

Those steps include:

-- Get a free annual credit report by either calling (877) 322-8228 or visiting http://www.annualcreditreport.com

-- Place one of two types of fraud alerts on your credit report at no charge to alert creditors you may have been a victim of identity theft
An initial alert stays on your credit report for 90 days.

The extended alert stays for seven years but requires you to provide proof, usually a police report, that you are victim of identity theft.

The annual credit report site provides more information about the alerts.