In the News
HMRC Blunder puts millions at risk
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 25 million 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".
What should you now do?
Be extra vigilant in monitoring your own affairs, particularly looking for unusual transactions going through your bank accounts which you have not authorized.HMRC has set up a Child Benefit Helpline on 0845 302 1444 for customers who want more details. Further advice can be obtained by going to the following dedicated website www.apacs.org.uk
It has been announced that the lost information is not sufficient to warrant a large scale panic in relation to potentially un-secure bank details but the public have been advised to alter password protected bank accounts where the password is in some way linked to the lost data (i.e. passwords are combinations of dates of birth, children’s names etc).
Chairman resigns
HMRC chairman Paul Gray resigned on Tuesday 20 November after the incident came to light. This has been the latest and by far the most serious of a string of missing data incidents at HM Revenue and Customs.
22nd November 2007