Staff and customers at car dealership Sandicliffe could have had their personal information, including bank details, stolen following a cyber-attack on the company earlier this year.
The dealership, which has 10 showrooms across Nottingham, Leicester and Loughborough, was targeted by cyber criminals in February 2020, after an employee opened a link in an unsolicited email.
Data breach specialists CEL Solicitors featured in media platforms across the East Midlands highlighting the major data breach and warning those who may have been affected to take action.
Those impacted by the incident were alerted by Sandicliffe to confirm that their personal data had been breached – this included both current and past employees, as well as customers.
Among the details believed to have been stolen by the hackers were people’s names, dates of birth, bank account numbers and sort codes, National Insurance numbers, passport scans, salary levels and medical histories.
However, the amount of data taken will vary for each individual, dependent upon their role in the company and how much of their information was held on record.
The cyber-attack was initially reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), but it is believed that no further action will be taken.
CEL Solicitors who are currently discussing breaches with a number of people affected by the hacking, highlighted the issue to media to raise awareness and warn staff and customers to remain vigilant and notify their bank immediately if they noticed anything suspicious.
Mark Montaldo, director at CEL Solicitors, said: “We’ve seen time and time again how cyber criminals are becoming more sophisticated in the way they access personal, sensitive information and how they go about using this data.
“They appear to have no preference in terms of sector, industry or type of data, causing a great deal of distress for those affected. It is therefore vital that action is taken as soon as a breach is noticed.
“In the case of Sandicliffe, it is concerning that there appears to have been a significant delay in notifying those who may have had their data breached, but it is essential that you notify your bank as soon as possible if you think you’ve been affected.
“With a total of 10 showrooms, this incident is likely to have affected hundreds, maybe even thousands of people – it’s therefore extremely important for the company, its staff and those customers who have been affected, to remain on alert for any unusual activity with their bank or with other personal information.”
If you think you may have been impacted by Sandicliffe’s data breach, contact our team of data breach experts to find out more about potential claims and compensation.
To read the full articles featuring CEL Solicitors and to see Sandicliffe’s response, visit: Nottingham Post or Leicester Mercury.
