When most people think about airline travel, they worry about delayed flights or lost luggage, and cancellations. Unfortunately, there's another risk travelers need to keep in mind: data breaches.
Frontier Airlines disclosed a cybersecurity incident that may have exposed sensitive customer information, specifically the breach of a data storage account. The company reported the breach to the Vermont Attorney General on July 9, but so far has released very few details about exactly how the incident happened or how many people may ultimately be affected.
According to publicly available filings, the information at risk may include Social Security numbers of some employees and other personally identifiable information of both employees and customers. Because of the sensitive nature of the data, identity theft is one of the biggest concerns for anyone whose information was exposed.
If you receive a notification letter from Frontier Airlines, don't ignore it. Read it carefully to learn exactly what information was involved and whether the company is offering complimentary credit monitoring or identity protection services. So far, that has not been put on the table, but since many class-action lawsuits have been filed claiming negligence by the airline, it may become an option down the line.
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- Monitor your financial institution and credit card accounts for unfamiliar activity. Report anything you don’t immediately recognize right away.
- Check your credit reports for accounts you don't recognize and report suspicious activity to the bureau.
- Consider placing a fraud alert or freezing your credit if your Social Security number was involved. You can do this at no charge, but you’ll have to contact each bureau (Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian) individually.
- Be cautious of emails, text messages, or phone calls claiming to be from Frontier Airlines. Criminals often use news about data breaches to launch convincing phishing scams.
- Data breaches don't always lead to identity theft, but stolen personal information can remain valuable to criminals for years. Taking a few minutes now to monitor your accounts and secure your identity can save countless hours of frustration later.
As Frontier continues its investigation, additional details about the scope of the breach and the number of affected customers may become available. Travelers should watch for official communications from the airline and remain alert for signs of fraud.
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