Mild increase in helpline calls about data, says HMRC

Taxman says it has only encountered a mild rise in helpline calls concerning the loss of child benefit data

Written by Nicholas Neveling

Accountancy Age, 21 Nov 2007

The phone lines at HM Revenue & Customs were only a little busier than normal today, a spokesman said, as the expected deluge of calls about HMRC's loss of 25 million people's personal data failed to materialise.

'Callers to the helpline may have to wait a little longer for a reply, but we still have surplus capacity to answer calls,' an HMRC spokesman said.

Yesterday, chancellor Alistair Darling told parliament that HMRC had downloaded the details of 25 million onto two disks which had been lost in the post on their way to the NAO.

The disks contained bank account details, addresses and national insurance numbers. The loss of the disks places millions of people at risk of identity and bank account fraud.

The spokesman said those who called HMRC on the issue would receive basic advice on how to protect themselves from fraud. He added that as of yet no person whose details had been saved on the missing disks had been a victim of fraud.