LONDON (AP) – Hackers have obtained credit card data from some 380,000 British Airways travelers during a two-week gap this summer, exposing customers to financial fraud.

BA CEO Alex Cruz said Friday that enough data had been stolen to allow criminals to use credit card information for illicit purposes, and that the police are investigating it.

"We know that the information that has been stolen is the name, the address, the e-mail address, the credit card information, the credit card number, the expiry date and the three-letter code on the back of the credit card ".

He added that no passport data had been obtained in what he called a "very sophisticated and malicious criminal attack".

He advises people to contact their bank or credit card company if they used the airline's website and mobile application to make or change a booking between 22:58 London time on August 21 and 21:45 pm London on September 5th.

TODAY IN THE SKY: The 30 biggest European airlines: what is the number 1? (the story continues below)

The recommendation does not apply to customers who have purchased tickets or modified their bookings outside of these hours.

The airline has promised to directly repay the financial losses suffered by customers due to the theft of this data.

The MoneySavingExpert Consumer Advisory website states that affected customers should first seek advice from their bank, and then closely monitor bank and credit card statements for any signs of misunderstanding. fraudulent activity.

It also warns of possible "phishing scams" in which hackers try to trick affected consumers by revealing personal information such as secret codes or bank passwords.

Some angry travelers complained to the British Press Association that they had already reported a phony activity on credit cards used to make bookings with British Airways at the time the violation was not detected.

ARCHIVES: Austin rolls out the red carpet for British Airways (the story continues below)

Piracy once again emphasizes the strength of information systems in large corporations as they expand their digital services.

British Airways experienced a computer crash in May last year when some 75,000 passengers were stranded after the airline canceled more than 700 flights over three days due to system problems.

In the United States, Delta Airlines said in April that payment card information for several hundred thousand customers could have been exposed by a malware program months earlier. The same failure also struck Sears Holdings Corp., which operates Kmart stores.

British Airways revealed the new hacking Thursday evening and began to warn its customers.

The National Crime Agency in Britain says it's investigating it.

IN PHOTOS: 30 cool aviation photos

Read or share this story: https://usat.ly/2NpUSGh