A couple of months ago the UK revenue service lost two CD’s containing the personal records of 25 million people. You may have heard the outcry – 25 million people were told that because of this loss they now faced the the very real risk of identity theft. In the wrong hands, this information could allow any unscrupulous thief to empty the victims bank accounts, apply for loans, credit cards and so on. In an on-line age, this information falling into the wrong hands would allow the criminal to become any or all of the 25 million people on those disks. As you can imagine, those involved were not a happy bunch.
While there have been no reports of identity theft arising from the loss, the fact that the data has not yet been recovered does still leave a very significant threat hanging in the air for those affected.
However, not everyone agrees. In a recent column, Jeremy Clarkson tried to rubbish these fears by publishing his bank account number and sort code. He believed that even with his bank details, the most anyone could do is lodge money to his account. He was wrong, and one of his readers decided to prove it by setting up a direct debit from Jeremy’s account to a charity, for £500. Due to the Data Protection Act there is no way for him to find out who did it, and no way for the bank to stop it happening again. It just goes to prove that even with the minimal amount of information, identity theft is just too easy.
I like Jeremy Clarkson. He speaks his mind with no regard for blind political correctness. He knows his stuff when it comes to cars and all things automotive, and he does have a “certain” wit. But I wouldn’t trust him with the security of my personal data, just as he wouldn’t trust me to test drive the latest Ferrari and return it – in one piece or otherwise.
Tags: , identity theft, jeremy clarkson, uk revenue