DENHAM, U.K.–InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), which is the parent company for more than 5,000 hotels worldwide including Holiday Inn, said it is investigating claims of a possible credit card breach at some U.S. locations, according to Krebs on Security.
In a statement on his website, security expert Brian Krebs said he asked about certain fraud patterns and was told by a spokesperson for IHG that the company had received similar reports and that it had hired an outside security firm to help investigate.
“IHG takes the protection of payment card data very seriously,” the company said in a statement. “We were made aware of a report of unauthorized charges occurring on some payment cards that were recently used at a small number of U.S.-based hotel locations. We immediately launched an investigation, which includes retaining a leading computer security firm to provide us with additional support. We continue to work with the payment card networks. We are committed to swiftly resolving this matter. In the meantime, and in line with best practice, we recommend that individuals closely monitor their payment card account statements. If there are unauthorized charges, individuals should immediately notify their bank. Payment card network rules generally state that cardholders are not responsible for such charges.”
Among the hotel brands operated by the company are Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, InterContinental, Kimpton Hotels, and Crowne Plaza.