All credit card info leaked via Agoda?
If you have a credit card, you know that your card number and CVC code are crucial information that must be kept secret. If these details are exposed, you could easily lose money.
On August 28th, 2024, many social media users shared a post from a Facebook account called Ngọc Hiếu, which talked about a situation where all their credit card details were exposed when booking a room through the Agoda platform.
In an interview with AN Tours Vietnam, Mr. Phạm Ngọc Hiếu from Thanh Xuân District, Hanoi, shared that on August 6th, he booked a room at a resort in Phan Thiết through Agoda, choosing to pay at the hotel. However, his information was later shared with Agoda’s partner, Booking.com.
According to Mr. Hiếu, when he arrived at the resort, the reception had a file containing all his credit card information, including the cardholder’s name, expiration date, and even the CVC code (the security code on the back of the card used for online or phone payments).
He mentioned that this information was openly displayed, not only for the resort staff to see but also for other customers to view.
Additionally, Mr. Hiếu was puzzled about why, even though he used Agoda to book the room, his personal information was provided by Booking.com. This made him very concerned about the lack of privacy and the potential risk to his financial security.
Agoda's questionably explains...
To address his concerns, Mr. Hiếu contacted Agoda for an explanation. The customer service team informed him that the company’s policy allows them to share credit card information with partners or third parties.
Regarding why his information was given to Booking.com, Agoda explained that in some locations where they cannot provide full services, they pass all customer information to their partner, Booking.com.
For the leak of Mr. Hiếu credit card information, Agoda blamed the resort for not keeping it secure.
Social media comments
Hearing the credit card leaked when booking a hotel using Agoda, many accounts on social media replied with the same content:
- “That’s why I never use Agoda, haha. This happened a while ago, not something recent!” – Duy Luan – a famous technology Youtuber in Vietnam
- “I always thought Agoda had a feature that allowed hotels to automatically charge guests if they didn’t show up or when they checked in. But if they’re doing things like this, I’m dropping them right away. Honestly, if the hotel staff isn’t trustworthy, I could lose a lot 🥺🥺🥺.” – a social media account shared
Not the first time!
In the Facebook post by Mr. Hiếu, who had his credit card information exposed when booking a hotel room through Agoda, many former hotel receptionists have shared some chilling truths!
It’s absolutely NOT a new or unusual thing for hotels or booking service providers to have access to all of a customer’s credit card information?!
Via some Facebook groups, we have found conversations between hotel/ resort receptionists discussing that they have received customers’ credit card information from Agoda or Booking. And this has happened for a long time…
After some research on Google, we can easily find many travelers who reported that their credit cards were fraudulent after booking with Agoda. Many articles can even be found posted in 2018.
What to do?
If you use Agoda and your credit card is compromised:
- Contact your bank immediately to freeze your card.
- Request a new card with a different number.
- Check recent transactions for unauthorized charges.
- Monitor your account for further suspicious activity.
- Change passwords on any linked online accounts.
- Report the breach to the merchant or platform involved.
- Consider identity theft protection for extra security.
Should you book hotels using Agoda after this? We are in no position to tell. However, if we personally book hotels, we will try ways to book it securely.
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