Arlington, DC Hotels Struck By Malware Attack, Customer Information Exposed

ARLINGTON, VA — Bad news if you stayed at one of three hotels in Arlington and Washington, D.C. -- your data may have been compromised in a malware attack.

HEI Hotels & Resorts posted a notice on its website that 20 of its properties were victims of a malware attack that exposed customers' personal information, and the list includes Le Méridien Arlington in Rosslyn, Sheraton Pentagon City and Westin Washington D.C. City Center.

"Unfortunately, like many other organizations, we recently became aware that several of our properties may have been the victim of a security incident that could have affected the payment card information of certain individuals who used payment cards at point-of-sale terminals, such as food and beverage outlets, at some of our properties," the statement reads. "We take very seriously our responsibility to keep our customers’ information secure, and have mounted a thorough response to investigate and resolve this incident, bolster our data security, and support our customers.

"We are pleased to report that the incident has now been contained and individuals can safely use payment cards at all of our properties," the statement continues. "We are sorry for any concern or frustration that this incident may cause."

HEI reports that the breach happened at point-of-sale terminals that were infected with malware. The company doesn't store the credit and debit information from those terminals, so potential victims will not be notified by HEI.

Instead, "we recommend that you carefully check credit reports for accounts or inquiries you do not recognize," the company said in a statement. "If you see anything you do not understand, call the credit agency immediately. If you find any suspicious activity on the credit reports, call your local police or sheriff's office, and file a police report for identity theft and get a copy of it. You may need to give copies of the police report to creditors to clear up credit records."

Checking credit card and bank statements is not enough. Check your credit report to make sure that the thieves have not opened new credit cards in your name.

Image via Le Méridien