A computer containing the bank records of a million people has been sold on eBay. It’s not clear how the computer came to be listed on the site, but the buyer from Oxford was astounded to find “names, addresses, mobile phone numbers, bank account numbers, sort codes, credit card numbers, mothers’ maiden names and even signatures” stored on the hard drive.
The data from Amex, NatWest and the Royal Bank of Scotland was on the computer removed from a secure area along with a second computer which is still missing. It’s expected that the buyer will return the computer, although if it were me I’d be asking for a lot more than the £35 I’d paid for its safe return.
13 Responses
although if it were me I’d be asking for a lot more than the £35 I’d paid for its safe return.
I wonder how many of these things do reach the open market and are then ransomed for hush money
I wonder if the seller has been ‘helping’ police with their enquiries yet?
😈
Just put all your info in the public domain, if you don’t then either the goverment or banks will.
They should be sued by everyone on the hard drive. This is a total breach of the data protection act 1998 (2001)
The Daily Mail seems to also carry the same story, as does the BBC. The Beeb one is so over the top in that it contains a big nasty eBay logo, the eBay brand in the title and does the usual good job of scare mongering.
eBay’s time is then wasted on having to face up to any PR backlash that may arise.
[Edited by Biddy to add links.]
Surely the answer is to get rid of all those small time sellers on eBay and hand it over to trusted companies like Buy.com, Dell et al
Now if I had a tinfoil hat handy……..
Proof if proof were needed that ….
item specifics just don’t cover every(any?)thing.
Nearly all my stuff seems to be unspecified (but it isn’t)
Now that should cut down the number of results in search.
It’s great news for sellers: bet searches for £35 laptops are through the roof.
“‘E only gotta laptop on eBay for 35 notes? Blimey, that’s cheap. Might get one meself.”
£35? It says £77 on the BBC website…
#1 northumbrian
SHOOOSSSHHH, you’ll have eveyone at it!!!.
#7 Dan Wilson
Think it was a server, not a laptop.
In the immortal words of Vampire Weekend, I stand corrected.
Swear blind that it was bandied about in the media as a £35 laptop in various news outlets today. But it does now seem to be reported as a 77 quid server.
Either way, still a cracking bargain. ;o)
Yesterday your bank account details were sold on a computer, today your tax records have been found on another computer!
https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7583985.stm
What is it with data that companies/government can’t keep it secure?
“What is it with data that companies/government can’t keep it secure?”
Because most of them have no clue what they are doing.
We’re lucky that person who bought it was a honest person. He should be commended what he did! How many identity thieves do you think are looking on ebay for used computing equipment, probably alot I would think, its very lucrative. Ebay should make sure that the registration on ebay and paypal are seriously VERIFIED. Not just let anyone register an account or VERIFY a Paypal account that doesn’t give a real name, just an EMAIL ADDRESS (its true!)
Hi Chris! SMOOCH