"We regret this situation has occurred and realize this may cause concern for our associates and customers.” -Stephen P. Weisz, President, Marriott Vacation Club International
Talk about an understatement.
The concern: computer tapes containing the personal information of more than 200,000 of Marriott’s timeshare owners, timeshare customers, and employees vanished from an office in Orlando, Florida. The perpetrator(s) made off with social security numbers, bank information, and credit card numbers.
In 2005, more than 55 million Americans were exposed to identity theft from 130 reported computer break-ins. What’s worse is that many attacks are either unreported or undetected, raising the likelihood that the number of breaches is greater than anyone knows.
Battling identity theft is hard enough under normal circumstances. But if we can’t trust organizations to do their part to safeguard our personal information, we’re one step closer to raising the white flag.
Marriott’s problem isn’t the first such case, of course. But it’s a stark reminder that the world of commerce runs on information and trust. If computer break-ins continue unchecked, consumer trust will erode, leaving all of us at great risk.
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