Illegally obtaining personal information: claiming compensation

You could be eligible to claim compensation with us on a No Win, No Fee basis for a breach of the GDPR involving someone illegally obtaining personal information that belongs to you.

If we can establish that there has been a breach of the law, we may be able to represent you in a legal case. You can contact our team to find out if we are able to help you here now.

Illegally obtaining personal data – a breach of the GDPR

Illegally obtaining personal information can constitute a breach of the GDPR, and anyone whose information has been misused or exposed as a result of such an event could be eligible to claim compensation.

The GDPR is clear in respect of making sure that organisations and individuals store and process information fairly and appropriately to uphold the law. Any breach of the law that could constitute misuse or exposure of information could result in victims suffering significant distress caused by the loss of control of their personal information. The GDPR can entitle anyone who has lost control over their personal information to recover damages for that distress, and that is what people will typically claim as part of a data protection compensation case.

If you have been notified or have discovered that you have been the victim of an incident involving someone illegally obtaining personal data for you, you could be eligible to pursue a legal case. You can contact our team for free, no-obligation legal advice to find out if we are able to represent you for a compensation claim here now.

Recent ICO court case

There was a recent ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) case that involved a former tracing agent who reportedly pleaded guilty to illegally obtaining personal information. He was subsequently fined as a result of what happened.

According to the ICO publication, the individual in question was the sole director of a company called Datasearch Services Limited (DSS). The company had reportedly been used by major banks including the Royal Bank of Scotland in respect of locating people who owed money to the bank. However, following the complaints and some concerns that had been raised, search warrants were issued for the director in question, and information was subsequently confiscated.

The investigation that followed highlighted that the individual had reportedly been contacting organisations including local councils and GP surgeries and pretending to be the individuals they were tracing. They were able to pass basic security screening and used voice-changing software to impersonate such individuals, according to the ICO.

As a result of this, the individual reportedly pleaded guilty to six counts of breaches of the Data Protection Act at the start of this year. In addition, he was also fined over £10,000 and had to pay court costs that totalled £15,000.

Source ICO.

Plenty of similar data breach compensation examples

There have been plenty of similar data breach compensation case examples such as the above, and many examples of the ICO as the UK’s data watchdog having to issue prosecutions and being involved in court matters. In fact, the ICO previously issued blanket warnings in respect of people accessing information when they should not be doing so. That is a sign at the times in respect of increasing digitisation and swift access to data.

Whilst quick access can be an incredibly positive thing on the whole, it does leave huge risks in respect of breaches of data protection.

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