Hong Kong Airlines, YOHO, and Broadway Photo Supply have reported data breach incidents affecting more than 1,600 citizens this month, with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data launching investigations into the cases.
The PCPD stated that it received a notification from HKA on October 2, indicating that 815 passengers departing between September 29 and October 22 had received suspected scam calls regarding flight cancellations and compensation arrangements. The leaked data included names, phone numbers, flight dates, flight numbers, and routes.
Furthermore, the office received a report from online retailer YOHO on October 5, showing that 790 customers who placed orders between September 29 and October 12 received fraudulent calls alleging damaged parcels and offering refunds. The compromised information involved names, phone numbers, delivery addresses, order numbers, and purchased product details.
Broadway Photo Supply also reported a data breach incident to the commissioner. To date, the privacy commissioner has received 23 complaints and 20 inquiries regarding the three data breach incidents.
The watchdog advises citizens to verify callers' identities through official channels, check for scam alerts issued by merchants, and refrain from disclosing sensitive details such as online banking credentials.
