Fort St. John airport airline WestJet confirms passenger data stolen in cyberattack, but not bank card details

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Some Fort St. John travellers may have had personal information stolen in a recent WestJet cyberattack.

WestJet, one of only two airlines serving the North Peace Regional Airport, says some passenger data, including passport details, were taken earlier this year. 

It says no credit card numbers or passwords were compromised, but stolen information may include names, contact details, booking history and government-issued ID.

The airline says it detected the breach on June 13th and determined it was “the actions of a sophisticated criminal third party.”

“WestJet is working with law enforcement, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, and have notified the relevant authorities,” the company said, adding “privacy and information security are top priorities.”

According to Jeff Horncastle from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, who spoke with Energeticcity.ca earlier this year, fraud is an ongoing issue in the country, with more than $638 million in losses due to scams reported last year.

WestJet says the breach has been contained, security measures have been bolstered and affected customers are being contacted through its partner, Cyberscout.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada is investigating.

For more information, visit WestJet’s FAQ page.