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Trouble in Paradise: Data theft hits Atlantis
50,000 hotel customers at risk of ID theft...

By Reuters

Published: Wednesday 11 January 2006

The identities of more than 50,000 customers of major Bahamas resort Atlantis have been exposed to possible identity fraud following the theft of personal information from the hotel, the owners said.

Kerzner International, owner of the luxury 2,300-room Atlantis resort on Paradise Island, revealed details of the data theft in a document filed with the Bahamas Securities and Exchange Commission.

Information stolen included names, addresses, credit card details, Social Security numbers, driver's licence numbers and bank account data, the filing said.

The information appears to have gone missing from the hotel's computer database and was the work of either an insider or an outside hacker.

The Atlantis hotel management is notifying affected customers in writing so they can take steps to protect themselves from possible identify fraud.

The hotel is also providing, at no cost to customers, a credit monitoring service for a year.

The filing by Kerzner said that around 55,000 customers are thought to be affected.

The statement said: "To date, the resort has not received any evidence that the information has been used to commit identity fraud or in any other manner adverse to its customers."

Atlantis has notified Bahamian and US law enforcement agencies and is co-operating with them.

George Markantonis, president of the Paradise Island operation, said Atlantis took its obligation to safeguard personal information seriously.

As investigations are under way, the resort said it was unable to disclose more at this time.

Atlantis is one of the world's landmark resort destinations. Thousands of tourists - mainly Americans - flock there every week to enjoy its casino and beachfront attractions.

It employs more than 5,000 Bahamians and is a major player in the country's economy.