Over 20,000 Wyndham Customers at Risk of Identity Theft

Adding to the many data breaches reported at the end of 2008, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts announce a data breach that may have put 21,000 guests at risk of identity theft. Wyndham reported the data breach to the Florida attorney general's office back in December and said they contacted the customers whose data had been compromised during the unauthorized access.

The data accessed included customer names and credit and debit card information. So far, Wyndham does not think that any of the compromised customer data has resulted in identity theft. However, the Florida attorney general still encourages consumers to alert and report any suspicious charges on their bank or credit card accounts. Those affected by the data breach should place fraud alerts on their credit reports and follow the advice in Wyndham's letter.

Review your credit card and bank statements carefully. You will also want to continue monitoring you credit by requesting a copy of your credit report twice a year. It is possible to minimize the affects of identity theft on your credit by catching and reporting it early.

Where in the U.S. are Identity Thieves Most Active?

Does where you live make you at higher or lower risk of identity theft? If so, which U.S. Cities and states are at highest risk of identity theft? A recent study provides the answers to those questions. According to ID Analytics Inc., New Yorkers, especially those living in New York City, are major targets for identity theft. Californians were the runners up, especially those living in Los Angeles.

So who else made the list? The states with the highest rates of identity theft include: New York, California, Nevada, Arizona, Illinois, Hawaii, Oregon, Michigan, Washington and Texas. The study goes on to say that the cities at the highest risk include: New York, NY; Detroit, MI; Los Angeles, CA; Little Rock, AR; Greenville, MS; Atlanta, GA; Phoenix, AR; Portland, OR; Dallas, TX, and Springfield, IL.

The lowest rates of identity theft are in the following states: Wyoming, Vermont, Montana, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Ohio, Maine, Iowa, West Virginia and South Dakota. Keep in mind that lower risk doesn't mean no risk. I live in one of these “low risk” states, but I was still hit.