Category: Virgin Media Compensation Action
The Virgin Media data breach- risks of data exposure
The Virgin Media data breach caused a great deal of fear among the affected victims, with many worrying about the risks of data exposure.
It is common for victims to feel vulnerable or helpless following a data breach, as they have been forced into a risky situation which they can exert very little control over. The breach resulted from the failures of Virgin Media employees, who left a marketing database unsecured for 10 months, rendering the personal data of 900,000 people vulnerable to unauthorised access. The details included phone numbers, email addresses and home addresses.
The consequences of having your data exposed can come in different forms, ranging from actual theft to emotional distress. While there is little action you can take to mitigate these risks, we believe it is important to make all affected Virgin Media data breach victims aware of the dangers they may be faced with.
Ethically handling data – the responsibilities of businesses and organisations
Businesses and organisations today can no longer ignore the importance of ethically handling data, as it is vital in ensuring customer trust, as well as legal compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
As such, any third party owes a responsibility to the customers or users who have trusted them with their personal data, as the security of this data is essential to personal safety and privacy.
When a third party fails in this duty, there can be an ethical violation at play, for which they can also be held accountable by the law. We believe that the mishandling of personal data is always a grave breach of duty, even when there is no malicious intent behind the breach. Virgin Media failed in their duties of data protection, so any affected victims have the right to claim compensation.
Data breaches and the GDPR
In legal terms, data breaches and the GDPR are closely linked. This is an element that is applicable in the Virgin Media data breach group action that we are working hard on.
Whenever an organisation or individual is sued for a data breach, they can be being held accountable for breaching the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This is the statute that governs data protection in the UK and was implemented in 2018 as part of wider EU laws.
We understand that the GDPR can be a somewhat mystifying area of law, and many people are unsure what their entitlements under the GDPR actually are. In the case of Virgin Media data breach, many affected victims may not even be aware of their right to claim compensation. We are here to alert everyone who had their data exposed as to their legal rights.
An employee data breach- victims and wrongdoers
In an employee data breach, the impact to both the employers and the employees can be severe, due to the long-term damage which the exposure of data can provoke.
Employees represent a two-sided data protection risk to businesses: on the one hand, employees can be responsible for the ‘human error’ data breaches that plague our headlines, or they could themselves be the victims at the centre of a data breach.
As such, an internal, employee data breach could be no less damaging to a company’s reputation and expenses than a customer data breach, so employee data protection should never be taken lightly. In terms of the Virgin Media data breach, this is a pivotal factor to consider.
Make sure to join the Virgin Media Group Action before it is too late
Make sure that you join the Virgin Media Group Action as soon as you can. There may be some big developments taking place in 2021, and you do not want to miss your chance to claim.
There are plenty of good reasons to claim, and with our No Win, No Fee representation on offer, what have you got to lose?
As a leading firm of consumer action and data breach compensation experts, we are here to help. Starting your legal case is simple and easy with our website here, and as the representatives of thousands of clients in dozens of group and multi-party actions, we are well established to help you now.
The Virgin Media data leak and what 2021 holds
The Virgin Media data leak was one of many that took place in 2020 as we continue to see a huge surge in breaches and cyberattacks taking place.
We are now more than two years on from the introduction of the GDPR that ought to have acted as a clear deterrent to avoid these kinds of avoidable data leaks taking place. Despite the power of the new regulations, we continue to see a substantial number of breaches, and we are left wondering if the situation will ever relent.
One key thing to know is that the GDPR can empower victims of a data breach to be able to claim compensation. Although the deterrent element of the law may not be working as effectively as it should be, the power for consumers to take action remains in place.
Compensation claims for corporate data breach victims – Virgin Media
It is important for corporate data breach victims to make a compensation claim. In the case of the Virgin Media data breach, we are fighting for justice for a large group of victims on a No Win, No Fee basis.
Many victims may not know that they can even make a claim, or they may be scared to take on huge corporations. That’s where we can help – we know the distress and upset that can be caused when your personal information is involved in a data breach, which is why we take claims forward on a No Win, No Fee basis for eligible clients.
Corporate data breach victims, such as the 900,000 victims of the Virgin Media data breach, can be legally entitled to make compensation claims. When corporations breach data protection laws, it is your right to claim compensation and hold the corporation to account; to bring justice for yourself and for the other victims. By making compensation claims, you can also help to make sure that the company takes data breaches seriously in the hopes that they put systems in place to prevent further breaches as well.
How to prevent data breaches
When it comes to data security, it is vital that companies know how to prevent data breaches and put all the correct systems in place to do so.
In cases of huge data breaches that could have been prevented, such as the Virgin Media data breach, it is important that the organisation is held to account for their actions and that they are encouraged to put preventative measures in place. Really, it should not happen in the first place all, but we cannot stop companies having a lax attitude to data security.
Our job is to hold organisations to account for their irresponsibility in the hopes that said organisations will take data security seriously in the future, and to make sure victims get some form of justice. The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) is responsible for assessing a breach and implementing fines, but we are responsible for taking data breach compensation claims forward and getting victims the justice that victims deserve.
Be wary of fraudsters posing as Virgin Media employees
If you are one of the 900,000 victims affected by the Virgin Media data breach, it is vital that you watch out for scams. You could be targeted by fraudsters posing as Virgin Media employees who are attempting to successfully scam you with cold calls and phishing emails.
The Virgin Media data breach affected 900,000 victims, with the majority being broadband and landline customers and a smaller percentage being Virgin Mobile customers. The breach was discovered by an independent security researcher TurgenSec who then informed Virgin Media. The telecoms giant has since stated the breach was a result of an ‘incorrectly configured’ database.
If you have been affected by this data breach, you could be eligible to make a compensation claim today for the distress caused by the loss of control of your personal information. You could also claim for financial losses incurred as a result of the breach, or from scams from fraudsters posing as Virgin Media employees if this has happened and it is linked directly to the breach event.
Companies are unprepared for cyberattacks
Recent high-profile data breaches like the Virgin Media data breach have highlighted how companies and organisations are unprepared for cyberattacks and preventing them from happening.
While the Virgin Media data breach did not arise from a cyberattack, and was due to information being left exposed, criminals use the same techniques security researchers do to find exposed information. As such, allowing so much information to be left exposed has led to victims being at risk of cyberattacks, and this shows a clear lack of preparedness.
It is vital that, in this digital age, organisations have adequate security measures and systems in place to prevent the inevitability of data breaches and hacks.
