More ID Theft - Hotels.com Customer Info May Be at Risk

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Hotels.com Customer Info May Be at Risk
Jun 03 11:22 PM US/Eastern

By DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP
Associated Press Writer

SEATTLE

Thousands of Hotels.com customers may be at risk for identity theft after a laptop computer containing their credit card information was stolen from an auditor, a company spokesman said Saturday.

The password-protected laptop belonging to an Ernst & Young auditor was taken in late February from a locked car, said Paul Kranhold, spokesman for Hotels.com, a subsidiary of Expedia.com based in Bellevue, Wash.

"As a result of our ongoing communication with law enforcement, we don't have any indication that any credit card numbers have been used for fraudulent activity," Kranhold said. "It appears the laptop was not the target of the break-in."

Both Hotels.com and Ernst & Young mailed letters to Hotels.com customers this past week encouraging them to take appropriate action to protect their personal information.

More on this Story (http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/06/03/D8I154F03.html)

[BuckeyeMike]

Any time someone is entrusted with this type of information, and they are in-transit, they should be required to adhere to strict security measures.....
not unlike diplomatic pouches etc. You would think the employer would be smart enough to take these precautions. There oughta be a law!