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
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.
Further reading:
Chancellor admits HMRC lost 25 million people’s
data
HMRC’s data loss: what the papers say