Last week it was revealed that Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) had lost CDs containing personal data, with all information on all British families with children under the age of 16. The CDS went missing after they were sent from the HMRC to the National Audit Office.
Fifty-eight percent of the over 350 people polled described the data loss as "inevitable" and said they felt that the government was being careless with data. Less than a third of people said they were shocked that the data breach had happened.
Data contained on the two lost CDs includes parents' and children's names, dates of birth, addresses, National Insurance numbers and details of the bank or building society accounts into which Child Benefit is paid.
"The HMRC's data loss isn't just incompetence on a grand scale, for the individuals affected by the ID theft it can be financially crippling. If criminals get their claws on your personal information they could make a significant impact on your bank balance and credit rating," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "Governments need to work hard to reassure voters that they are taking all necessary measures to ensure data is always kept securely. This study shows that public feeling on this issue is strong, and that embarrassing and potentially dangerous incidents like the one last week only further damage the trust that people need to have in the guardians of their confidential data."
In separate research published this month, Sophos revealed that eight-five percent of the public lacked confidence in the security systems of their local government.
Symptoms of ID theft include:
- You stop receiving bills or other mail; this could suggest that an identity thief has given a different address in place of your own
- You start receiving credit cards for which you did not apply
- You are denied credit for no obvious reason
- You receive calls from debt collectors about items you did not purchase
- When checking your credit history you see items you do not recognize
- Your bank statements include withdrawals, payments and money transfers for which you cannot account
