IT security expert André Catry advises tourists affected by a data breach at Italian hotels to cancel their passports and ID documents. Nearly 100,000 identity documents were stolen and leaked on the darknet, posing risks of identity theft and fraud. Catry warns of potential legal issues, such as unauthorized car rentals or money laundering, and stresses the importance of vigilance against suspicious emails.
Expert Advice After Hotel Data Breach: Cancel Your Passport
Expert Advice After Hotel Data Breach: Cancel Your Passport
Tourists whose ID documents were stolen from Italian hotel servers have reason to be concerned, according to IT security expert André Catry.
"Cancel your passport and ID documents," he advises those affected.
There is a risk of receiving invoices for a car you never rented or even being falsely accused of tax fraud. These could be the consequences for those whose ID documents were stolen in a breach, according to André Catry, an IT security expert with the Swedish Armed Forces.
Between June and August this year, nearly 100,000 identity documents were stolen from hotel guests during check-in, check-out, or booking at about ten hotels in Italy. The alleged perpetrator reportedly attempted to sell the ID information, which was leaked on the darknet.
In such a situation, the information can easily be used for criminal purposes, warns André Catry. Using stolen ID documents to launder money or rent a car is easier in many other countries than in Sweden, he emphasizes.
Be Vigilant
"In countries that do not have developed systems for verifying identity via bank ID, they rely on a scanned passport, a copy of a driver's license, and some control questions, such as the name of a cousin, to open a bank account or rent a car," André Catry tells TT.
In practice, this means someone can rent a car in your name and then not return it.
"It then becomes a matter of evidence, and you could end up in a legal dispute. Therefore, be vigilant about emails containing booking requests that you might mistake for spam," advises André Catry.
Can Be Used for Money Laundering
There is also a risk that someone uses your stolen ID information to open a bank account in your name and then uses the account to launder money.
"It could end with information about the account reaching Swedish authorities, and you being suspected of tax fraud and taxed for millions of kronor," says André Catry.
Within the EU, efforts are underway to improve security by requiring e-identification to verify identity.
"If my passport leaked online, I would cancel it and my ID documents and get new ones. If someone then rented a car in your name and the car company contacts you referring to your passport number, you can say that the passport is canceled."