UK Families on Fraud Alert - Computer Disks With Details On 25 Million Missing

November 20, 2007

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In what is being called a ” catastrophic failure” two computer discs holding the personal details of all families in the UK with a child under 16, receiving child benefits are missing. The discs apparently contain personal details including where relevant.

The unimaginable loss means information on senior politicians, police officers and leading industrialists will be included in the missing data, which contains records on nearly half the UK’s 60.5 million population.

It is reported that MPs gasped as Mr Darling revealed the scale of the loss in an emergency statement to the Commons.

Two computer discs holding the personal details of all families in the UK with a child under 16 have gone missing.

The Child Benefit data on them includes name, address, date of birth, National Insurance number and, where relevant, bank details of 25m people.

Chancellor Alistair Darling said there was no evidence the data had gone to criminals - but urged people to monitor bank accounts “for unusual activity”.

The Conservatives described the incident as a “catastrophic” failure.

CHILD BENEFIT HELPLINE
0845 302 1444

In an emergency statement to MPs, Mr Darling apologized for what he described as an “extremely serious failure on the part of HMRC to protect sensitive personal data entrusted to it in breach of its own guidelines”.

MPs gasped as Mr Darling told them: “The missing information contains details of all Child Benefit recipients: records for 25 million individuals and 7.25 million families. “

The chancellor blamed mistakes by junior officials at HMRC, who he said had ignored security procedures when they sent information to the National Audit Office (NAO) for auditing.

Mr Darling told MPs: “Two password protected discs containing a full copy of HMRC’s entire data in relation to the payment of child benefit was sent to the NAO, by HMRC’s internal post system operated by the courier TNT.

The package was not recorded or registered. It appears the data has failed to reach the addressee in the NAO.”

He added: “The police tell me that they have no reason to believe that this data has found its way into the wrong hands.

“The police are not aware of any evidence that it has been used for fraudulent purposes or criminal activity.”

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