What to Know About the Recently Reported Orbitz Data Breach

Expedia has announced that its subsidiary, Orbitz, experienced a breach that could affect nearly 900,000 customers. In March 2018, the parent company disclosed that customers who used either the Orbitz site or its partner sites are at risk. If you used the Orbitz.com website or any agency on one of its platforms, here is what you need to know.

Who is Affected?

Though the breach was not made public until March, the breach affects customers who made past purchases. The customers at risk of having their information accessed through this breach are those who booked directly on Orbitz.com between January 1, 2016 and June 22, 2016 and customers who booked on the Orbitz platform through another website between January 1, 2016 and December 22, 2017. American Express released a statement acknowledging that its website, American Express Travel, uses the Orbitz platform for booking. Customers who have used Orbitz.com in 2018 should not be affected.

Was Your Information Accessed?

Orbitz has created a website for customers to determine if their information is at risk: https://orbitz.allclearid.com/. If you used Orbitz or a travel site on an Orbitz platform during either time frame, check the website to find out if your information was accessed.

What to Do Next

Orbitz is offering one year of free credit monitoring to affected customers. Even if the website states that you were not affected, you may still be concerned that your information is at risk. Be sure to monitor your credit report regularly for any unusual or fraudulent activity.

Protecting Your Travel

Even if you are careful, it may be impossible to completely avoid being affected by a data breach. However, there are steps you can take to protect your travel-related purchases.

Securing travel insurance can provide assistance before, during, and after your trip. Travelinsurance.com allows customers to research, compare and purchase travel insurance. As a consumer, there are numerous risks one can encounter when booking travel. Though many of those risks are difficult to mitigate, travel insurance is one area where consumers can protect themselves.