Breach details
| What | Loss of personal data. |
| How much | Approximately 2 million records. |
| When | 7 November 2011 |
| Why | Backup tapes of Shopacheck’s LAN were transported back and forth between the network site and an offsite storage room. On the 23rd of November 2011 it was discovered that two of these tapes, containing personal data, of millions of individuals were missing. |
Regulatory action
| Regulator | ICO | Action | Monetary penalty of £ 150,000 |
| When | 5 July 2012 |
Why the regulator acted
| Breach of act | Unencrypted tapes were lost, and have still not been recovered. Inappropriate organisational and technical measures. |
| Known or should have known | Data controller was aware of the possible consequences of the tapes going missing, since policies were in place requiring encryption. |
| Likely to cause damage or distress | Financial information of customers. |
Links
| View PDF of the Welcome Financial Services Limited Monetary Penalty Notice (Breach Watch Archive) |
| View PDF of the Welcome Financial Services Limited Monetary Penalty Notice (Via ICO Website) |