HM Revenue and Customs in new data protection scare
It has been revealed that HM Revenue and Customs have inadvertently posted the financial details of 50,000 people in the UK. It is believed that a number of claimants have been sent their annual award notices which have seemingly included the financial details of other people in the system. This is not the first time that HM Revenue and Customs has been involved in data protection scare although David Cameron is unlikely to take this particular issue lying down.
It is not clear exactly how financial details, which in some cases actually included bank details, have come to be printed upon annual claims notices but when you bear in mind the billions of pounds spent on various computer systems at HM Revenue and Customs it is disappointing to say the least. There is no doubt there will now be an internal investigation into the mishap and there could be consequences for the tax credits department.
While the likelihood of any banking fraud being carried out as a consequence of the error is minimal it is the fact that your next door neighbour may well be aware of how much you earned last year!
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