New Data Breach Claimed by TalkTalk Customers

Recently the BBC reported that TalkTalk customers have been plagued by industrial-scale scams that resulted from a historical breach of their personal data. Now the Guardian says some customers believe new customer data is still being compromised, and used for yet more deception.

Jane Hatton from Halifax in West Yorkshire contacted Money to say that the fraudsters now appear to have access to the very latest customer details. The retired bank worker, who has been a TalkTalk customer for almost 10 years, says she recently upgraded her package to include unlimited broadband, and was sent a new router in January. Just two weeks later, she says she received a call from someone posing as a TalkTalk employee who knew all the details of her account. He knew about the contract upgrade and was able to quote both the router number and the new password sent only a few days before.

Is TalkTalk the leakiest telco floating on the telecoms sea? Or are some TalkTalk customers using the company’s previous failures as an excuse to demand the cancellation of services without paying early termination fees? Either way, the damage to TalkTalk’s reputation goes on. Meanwhile, the costs of poor security keep racking up and up, even if nobody properly accounts for them all.

TalkTalk had nothing new to tell the Guardian, but you can read the newspaper’s story here.

Eric Priezkalns
Eric Priezkalns
Eric is the Editor of Commsrisk. Look here for more about the history of Commsrisk and the role played by Eric.

Eric is also the Chief Executive of the Risk & Assurance Group (RAG), a global association of professionals working in risk management and business assurance for communications providers.

Previously Eric was Director of Risk Management for Qatar Telecom and he has worked with Cable & Wireless, T‑Mobile, Sky, Worldcom and other telcos. He was lead author of Revenue Assurance: Expert Opinions for Communications Providers, published by CRC Press. He is a qualified chartered accountant, with degrees in information systems, and in mathematics and philosophy.