The Butlins data breach incident

The Butlins data breach incident was one of many that hit the UK in 2018. As holidays are getting booked up in the post-Christmas period, data security may well be a concern for some.

We know from the recent Marriott data breach that passport data was compromised. The data that’s collected as part of booking holidays can be private and sensitive, and could leave victims at risk of fraudulent activity.

In the Butlins data breach of last year, it was personal information that appeared to have been exposed.

About the Butlins data breach

News of the Butlins data breach hit the headlines in the midst of the holiday season of 2018. Hackers may have stolen a wealth of data belonging to some 34,000 customers in the incident.

Data exposed may have included:

• Names;
• Postal addresses;
• Email address;
• Telephone numbers.

Although this may seem like a ‘minor breach’ to some, no breach should ever be taken lightly. That’s enough for someone to pose as Butlins and contact a customer affected by the breach and scam them out of money. It only takes a little data for a scammer to try and harm someone. With some 34,000 victims of the breach, you could argue that at least one person may fall for a scam.

This is what happened after the TalkTallk data breach (an action we’re representing people for).

On top of that, because breaches are so common these days, it only takes a criminal knowing details about you in more than one data breach to potentially do even greater harm. They could build up  profile of a victim based on several breaches.

Our Data Leak Lawyers are fighting for justice in over 20 different data breach actions; from NHS breaches, to the We-Vibe breach that took place in the last few years. If you’re hit in more than one breach, that’s more data that can end up on the dark web for scammers to use.

What’s being done about the Butlins data breach?

The Butlins data breach has been reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Butlins themselves have said:

“Butlin’s take the security of our guest data very seriously and have improved a number of our security processes. I would like to apologise for any upset or inconvenience this incident might cause.”

This is a data breach incident in a long line of others that have taken place in the last few years. Victims of an incident like this can be entitled to claim for data breach compensation, and that’s what we specialise in.

Companies must ensure they keep the data of their customers safe.

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