Biting the hand that feeds IT
Biting the hand that feeds IT
|
|
Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03/14/clean_banking/
The Information Commissioner has told 11 UK banks to stop dumping customers' statements in bins on the pavement outside branches.
Consumer advocates complained to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) that identity thieves might be rifling through the rubbish bags for people's personal details.
While a spokeswoman for the ICO said she was not aware of any recorded cases of false identities being constructed from scraps found outside high street banks, Scams Direct, BBC Watchdog, and the Sunday Mail all filed official complaints about the practice with the ICO.
On investigation, the ICO found that the banks were indeed leaving their rubbish on the pavement for the dustman, and told them to pack it in.
In written statements (http://www.ico.gov.uk/what_we_cover/data_protection/enforcement.aspx), the head honchos of 11 high street banks published signed promises to buck their ideas up.
HBOS chief executive Ian Hornby said in his statement that personal customer information had been found in bins outside its branches in Manchester, Fareham, and Bristol.
"This personal information consisted of five paying-in envelopes containing the names of customers from the Manchester Branch, two cut-up Halifax Visa/debit cards from the Fareham branch, and papers from the Manchester branch which included a PIN number to a customer's account," he said.
The statement did not say from what tonnage of rubbish the handful of incriminating evidence had been drawn.
However, even after the Information Commissioner had followed up the complaints (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03/07/bank_probe/), HBOS still failed to clean up its act. The ICO's bin detectives found more personal details in an HBOS bin bag outside its branch in Oldham.
The banks said they would now store their retail rubbish in lockable bins. ®
ICO names Orange, retail banks amongst data bandits (11 July 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/07/11/ico_data_orange/
Bank of Scotland blames human error in data screw-up (7 June 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/06/07/hbos_more_data_lost/
Info Commissioner audits HBOS (15 May 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/05/15/hbos_gets_audited/
Home Office promises proactive powers for info commissioner (1 May 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/05/01/ico_inspection_powers/
Fraud cost UK at least £13bn in 2005 (7 March 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03/07/uk_fraud/
Laptop losses and phishing fruit salad (20 February 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/02/20/online_risk_assessment/
Collar the lot of us! Blair adds whole UK to police suspect list (20 February 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/02/20/blair_fingerprint_suspects/
Nationwide fined £980,000 over stolen laptop (14 February 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/02/14/nationawide_fined/
US ID theft losses decline (5 February 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/02/05/us_id_fraud_survey/
Paris: 'stop exposing me' (30 January 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/30/paris_lawsuit/
HP snooping team offered plea bargain (19 January 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/19/dunn_plea_bargain/
© Copyright 2008