Trump Hotel Collection is working to determine if its payment systems have been breached by cybercriminals after several U.S. banks identified fraudulent activity on cards used at the company’s hotel properties.
Trump Hotel Collection is a hotel management company that manages luxury establishments in New York City, Las Vegas, Chicago, Miami, Washington D.C., Vancouver, Waikiki, Toronto, Panama, Doonbeg in Ireland, Rio de Janeiro, and Baiku in Azerbaijan. The company is owned by business magnate and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Security blogger Brian Krebs has learned from sources in the banking industry that fraudulent charges have been detected on debit and credit cards that had been used at Trump hotels.
Krebs’ sources say they are confident that the payment systems of several Trump hotels, including ones in New York, Miami, Chicago, Las Vegas, and Honolulu, have been breached since at least February 2015.
According to Trump Hotel Collection representatives, an investigation is underway.
“Like virtually every other company these days, we have been alerted to potential suspicious credit card activity and are in the midst of a thorough investigation to determine whether it involves any of our properties,” stated Eric Trump, executive vice president of development & acquisitions for Trump Hotel Collection.
Trump Hotel Collection wouldn’t be the first hotel group to suffer a credit card breach. In March, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group confirmed that the credit card systems at several of its hotels in the United States and Europe had been accessed by cybercrooks. In April, hotel management company White Lodging Services reported that hackers had compromised point-of-sale (POS) systems at 10 of its hotel properties.
“School’s out and countless families are preparing to visit entertainment attractions and resort hotels. We’ve seen plenty of evidence that no business is immune from cybercriminals, and those that process payment data or offer free Wi-Fi are especially lucrative targets. Therefore, it’s essential that hospitality businesses take the necessary steps to protect customer data and ensure that stronger security measures are in place for their network, payment systems and on-premise Wi-Fi services,” explained Kevin Watson, CEO of Netsurion, a company that provides data security and computer network management services for multi-location businesses.
“Making those areas a priority now will allow them to focus on the core business of providing customers with exceptional dining, lodging, event and travel experiences during the busy summer travel season,” Watson told SecurityWeek.
