Incident: Data for 55,000 customers stolen from Bahamas hotel

According to Computerworld, a high-clas island resort's databases have been hacked, leading to the exposure of personal information of 55,000 customers. The report says that the information compromised included "names, addresses, credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers and bank account numbers."

What possible reason would a hotel have for collecting Social Security Numbers from guests? And if it had a reason to collect this sort of info, why would it keep it?

Personal information is like an underground tank, half full of oil. If you don't need it, get rid of it. The more of them you have and the longer you have 'em, the higher the risk of disaster.

Here's the gist of the Computerworld article:

Data for 55,000 customers stolen from Bahamas hotel - Computerworld

Data for 55,000 customers stolen from Bahamas hotel The upscale Atlantis Resort has acknowledged an apparent database break-in

JANUARY 11, 2006 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - Travelers who stayed at the upmarket Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas should keep a close eye on their bank statements in the months ahead. The hotel has acknowledged an apparent database break-in in which personal information for 55,000 guests may have been stolen, including credit card and bank account numbers.

The resort said it is notifying affected customers in writing so that they can "take steps to protect themselves from possible identity fraud."

Kerzner International Ltd., which operates the 2,000-room "ocean-themed" resort on Paradise Island, reported the theft last week in a U.S. regulatory filing. An internal investigation revealed that the information had been stolen from a database of Atlantis customers.

...

The information stolen includes names, addresses, credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers and bank account numbers. Approximately 55,000 customers may have been affected, the resort company said.

Technorati tags: Hacking :: Privacy :: Personal Information :: Social Security Number