Tuesday, November 17, 2009
UK mobile company staff allegedly sold customer data
Investigators at the UK government's Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) have been working with a mobile phone service provider following suspicions that employees had been selling data from thousands of customers’ mobile phone contracts. It's alleged the information was being sold to competitors that were then calling the customers to offer them an alternative contract shortly before their existing contract term expired.
Information commissioner Christopher Graham says a prison sentence is required to deter this type of action; the ICO is currently preparing a prosecution file. Details of the company involved were not released at first; T-Mobile has subsequently confirmed that it is the network involved. [Press release (pdf)]