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Credit cards breached at luxury Mandarin Oriental hotels

By Danielle Haynes
The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York City. Photo courtesy of the Mandarin Hotel Group
The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York City. Photo courtesy of the Mandarin Hotel Group

HONG KONG, March 5 (UPI) -- The credit cards of customers at multiple Mandarin Oriental hotel locations in the United States and Europe have been accessed and used after a security breach, the luxury hotel chain announced Thursday.

It's unclear how many customers and hotels were affected by the breach, which likely took place before Christmas 2014. The group operates about two dozen locations worldwide, including hotels in Boston, Florida, Las Vegas, Miami, New York, and Washington, D.C.

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The hotel said only credit card data, not personal information was compromised.

The company was notified of the breach after some customers noticed fraudulent charges on their credit cards.

"The group has identified and removed the malware and is coordinating with credit card agencies, law enforcement authorities and forensic specialists to ensure that all necessary steps are taken to fully protect our guests and our systems across our portfolio," Mandarin Oriental said in a statement on its website.

"Mandarin Oriental moved swiftly to address this issue by working with forensic experts and has removed the offending malware. While the group has leading data security systems in place, this malware is undetectable by all anti-viral systems," the statement said.

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Those responsible for the breach may have made out with a pretty penny. The stolen credit cards used at the luxury hotel likely have high or no limits -- the average price of a basic room at the New York City location is $850 per night.

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