Data breaches leave victims exposed to cybercriminals

Few consumers are able to keep track of the number of third parties that they have disclosed their data to, and many will place natural trust in the ability of these third parties to protect their personal information. Unfortunately, despite the fact that we have a legal right to expect proper data protection from all companies, sometimes, this duty may be breached, often leaving victims exposed to cybercriminals.

Once personal data is released into the public domain, it can be subjected to all kinds of misuse and it can be incredibly difficult to reverse the exposure. As such, it is important that those responsible for exposing information are held to account for any damage that may be caused.

The Virgin Media data breach resulted in the victims being potentially vulnerable to several forms of cybercrime as a result of what we consider to be severe data protection negligence. Eligible claimants could be entitled to thousands of pounds in compensation, so do join today if you were affected here.

Exposed to cybercriminals: the risks for victims

While some believe cybercriminals need extensive data to do any real damage, they in fact may require very little information to engage in highly profitable acts of fraud and theft. In fact, one or two identifying details can act as the keys to unlock a wealth of further information, with which they may be able to execute financial and identity fraud.

For example, in the Virgin Media data breach, the information that was potentially exposed to cybercriminals included email addresses, home addresses and phone numbers. While Virgin Media was quick to highlight that no security or financial information had been exposed, this does not mean that there has not been a severe impact on the victims.

Using these details, cybercriminals could potentially target victims with fraud attempts through phishing emails and phone call scams. These could be used to lure further information out of unsuspecting victims, or the criminals may even make ransom demands, claiming that they will not misuse the information unless a ransom is paid.

Claiming compensation as a data breach victim

The scare factor of these scam attempts can induce a significant degree of stress and worry for a victim, even if they are identified and dismissed safely. Even the risk of it possibly happening could cause a great deal of anxiety. As such, any victim could be eligible to claim compensation for a data breach that has left them exposed to cybercriminals, whether they have financial losses and expenses to recover or not.

In fact, we anticipate that the majority of claims in our Virgin Media group action will be brought primarily for distress rather than for financial losses and expenses. You could be eligible to claim for either or both, and we can weigh up each claim based on its own merits to ensure that each victim has a chance of receiving the most compensation possible.

Join our Virgin Media group action

In our view, Virgin Media has a lot to answer for after leaving around 400,000 victims potentially exposed to cybercriminals. In the age of the GDPR, we cannot let companies get away with fundamental data protection failures, so we are determined to hold Virgin Media to account for negligence.

Your Lawyers, as a leading consumer action law firm, currently sit on the Steering Committee for the first GDPR Group Litigation Order in England and Wales, brought against British Airways, another company that failed in its data protection duties. To enlist the services of an expert data breach and group action firm, Virgin Media victims can use our simple sign-up form to start their claims.

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