Today Cathay Pacific publicly notified the probable compromise of personal and account related information of some 9.4m customers. Amongst those records are passport numbers and "identification card numbers" which IDCARE have assessed to be a high risk credentials. The risk in this context is the risk that relates to credit abuse or unauthorised access to accounts.
IDCARE became aware of the breach through impacted customers reaching into our National Case Management Centre seeking support. IDCARE has not been directly engaged by Cathay Pacific at this point in time, however our attempts to contact Cathay Pacific continue.
Cathay Pacific has established a dedicated call centre for enquiries relating to the incident. The Australian call centre number is 1800 567 515 and the New Zealand call centre number 0800 456 320. Cathay Pacific have advised that the call centre will be available 3.30pm EADT and 5.30pm NZDT.
IDCARE advises impacted persons to monitor Cathay Pacific's website for advice and updates.
The advice provided by Cathay Pacific to date includes that individuals notify relevant financial institutions. Given the nature of the risk, IDCARE advises Australians and New Zealanders who believe they may be impacted to request free copies of their credit reports from the credit reporting agencies operating in their country. Further details of the credit reporting agencies and the process for seeking credit reports can be found on IDCARE's Learning Centre page.
IDCARE recommends that potentially impacted customers remain alert to any unauthorised access through relevant Cathay pacific membership services, email accounts, online banking and other services likely to attract identity thieves.
For customers seeking further information on how they have been impacted by this event, Cathay Pacific has requested they complete an online enquiry form. Customers concerned about sharing further personal information through this process may prefer to telephone the call centre in the first instance.
IDCARE will post any further relevant updates via our social media accounts and website.
If you have concerns about your identity information, we encourage you to visit IDCARE's learning centre.
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