Should I be worried about a data breach?

People asking whether they should be worried about a data breach is somewhat of a common question in today’s age of almost continual leaks and hacks.

In some ways, our society has become a bit numb to news of yet another breach hitting the headlines given how common they are. Whilst we don’t want to panic people, it’s important for us to shed some light on the dark side of the internet and explain why people should be worried when they fall victim to a data breach incident.

It’s also important to know what rights you have when it comes to compensation. When you understand about what can happen to your valuable information, it can be distressing.

Why you should be worried about a data breach

When we look at what happens to information in the aftermath of an incident, there are a number of reasons as to why people ought to be worried about a data breach.

When it comes to information that has been stolen, like we have seen in the BA data breach that has resulted in the Group Action we’re involved with, there are a number of risks. If it’s financial data that has been stolen, hackers can immediately attempt to steal money from you. They may make fraudulent transactions on your bank account or abuse an account for a breached organisation to try and benefit from it.

Some of the people that we’re representing in the BA Group Action have reported a number of fraudulent transactions and odd activity on accounts. There are real risks of money being stolen, and although we can usually recover this as part of a claim for compensation, it’s not nice to think that unknown criminals are abusing your information and stealing your money!

Long-term damage

There’s more to it than just being worried about a data breach in the short-term. Lost money can be refunded, and it may feel like the harm was minimal.

But it doesn’t always stop there.

One of the more worrying long-term concerns is the risks of further fraud, but not in the way of money being directly stolen from accounts. We’re talking about criminals contacting data breach victims and posing as legitimate organisations using the information that has been exposed.

We saw this with the TalkTalk hack that we’re also representing people for. Criminals have been contacting victims and pretending to be TalkTalk, and they’re managing to trick innocent people into making fraudulent transactions as a result of convincing people they’re the real deal because of the information they had.

When someone calls you and is able to confirm a wealth of your personal information, including company account numbers, it can be easy to be duped. In some cases, organisations have refused to refund victims of these kinds of frauds, which is why claiming can be important.

Even longer-term worries

Another reason to be worried about a data breach is the issue over information being sold on the dark web and then used years after the event took place.

There’s quite a market for stolen information. When it’s combined with data stolen or exposed in other breach incidents, a comprehensive online profile can be built of a person in order to commit serious crimes, like identify theft.

Even when resolved, ID theft can do permanent or at least long-term damage to a victim’s credit profile and life in general. The hassle and stress of having to resolve the problems that can be caused can be significant.

The importance of claiming data breach compensation

Given the many reasons as to why people should be worried about a data breach, the importance of being able to make a claim for compensation cannot be understated.

Thankfully, data protection law in the UK entitles victims of a data breach to be able to bring a claim. We can represent victims for claims on a No Win, No Fee basis, and data breach compensation pay-outs are usually based on the extent of any suffering and loss that has been caused.

You don’t have to have suffered an actual financial loss to be able to claim. You can be entitled to damages for any distress caused or, in some cases, for the mere fact that a breach has taken place.

For free, no-obligation advice about your rights for making a claim, please don’t hesitate to contact our expert team for help and advice.

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