A Data Breach is when personal information is exposed to a third party without consent.
Credit cards, bank account details, passport details, national insurance numbers, personal health information etc are considered personal information. If any of these were lost or leaked, that would be considered a data breach.
The risk to the victim of the data breach is not just financial loss, but any stress or anxiety caused by a third party having their personal information.
Personal data has been misused or mishandled.
An identity could of been stolen to obtain credit cards / loans.
Personal information could of been sent to a third party.
A business or organisation has had their data leaked.
A business or organisation failed to keep up to date records.
Your personal information has been stolen, lost or even hacked.
There are lots of different steps you can take to help minimize the affect of a data breach.
Below are some key tips you should follow if you have recently suffered a data breach:
1. Contact your bank to monitor any unusual transactions.
2. Cancel and replace debit or credit cards.
3. Report any phishing attempts to the authorities.
4. Review your credit score every week or so.
5. Register with the CIFAS protective service. This can slow down any credit applications in your name.
6. Don’t give any personal information out over the phone.
Call us free on 01772 447000