Details of 3000 Virgin Media Customers At Risk As Unencrypted Disc Goes Missing

Telecom company Virgin Media has been affected by the virulent lost-data-itis virus it seems; after the Scottish Ambulance Service blunder, VM has confessed to losing bank details of 3000 customers which were burnt on a CD and then sent, unencrypted.

The customers at risk have signed up in Carphone Warehouse's stores in January 2008 and it is understood that the data include names, home addresses as well as bank details.

It beggars belief how PLCs and public organisations still allow sensitive data to be copied in an unencrypted mode to removable storage and it appears that this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to data loss.

A Spokesperson for the company said that "This is an isolated incident which has affected a small number of our customers. We have been working with the Information Commissioner’s Office on this matter and we are in the process of contacting all of the affected customers to ensure we meet our responsibilities and fully support them through this process."

The Information Commissioner's Office has already been informed and affected customers will be given notification in due course.