HM Revenue and Customs loss of personal data

What's happened?
On 20 November HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announced that they have lost two disks containing the personal data of over 25 million people who receive Child Benefit. The disks, which had details such as names, addresses, dates of birth, National Insurance and bank account details, related to around 10 million adults and 15 million children.

There is no evidence that the missing disks have fallen into criminal hands or have been used for fraudulent activity, but this is an unprecedented event.

How are you and your Chelsea account affected by this event?
Some of our customers have their Child Benefit paid into their Chelsea account. The number of customers affected is small, but nevertheless we appreciate customers will still be worried about their data being compromised.

HMRC have confirmed that there is no evidence that the mislaid data has fallen into criminal hands nor that any fraud has been attempted as a result of this incidence. They have also confirmed that your Child Benefit payments will continue to be paid as before and you do not need to contact them to discuss this. They will be writing to everyone who has been affected, so you will receive correspondence direct from them shortly.

In the meantime, these are some of the questions you may want to have answered:

Is my money safe?
Yes. The personal information that has been mislaid would not be enough to allow someone access to your Chelsea account, as we require additional security information for withdrawals.

Additionally, we have placed a warning code on your account that prompts us to be extra vigilant on the verification of your identity.

What are you doing to safeguard my account?
The data went missing on 18 October 2007, so we are manually reviewing any activity on your account since this date and going forward. As part of this review, and, as is our standard practice, if we notice any suspicious activity we will contact you to confirm that you have authorised any transactions requested.

What can I do to safeguard my account?
If you receive bills, invoices or receipts or see entries in your statements for goods or services which you have not ordered you should contact us immediately. In addition, do not give out personal or account details if anyone contacts you unexpectedly. Instead take a note of their name and number, and if you are at all suspicious contact Chelsea on 08457 446 622 lines open 8am to 8pm Monday to Thursday, 8am to 6pm Friday, 9am to 1pm Saturday.

Where can I get further information about this incident?
HMRC has set up a Child Benefit Helpline on 0845 302 1444 for any customers who would like more detail. Their website also contains some key advice - www.hmrc.gov.uk

Also, full information on protecting yourself from ID fraud is available from www.identitytheft.org.uk