Online retail scams arising from data leaks

Online retail scams can be one of the major risks that can arise when information is exposed as a result of a data leak. It is important for victims to understand the risks that they could face.

We represent thousands of people who are engaged in our Virgin Media data leak group action for compensation. Given the nature of the information that was exposed in this event, people could have been at risk of such scams.

We are several years into our group action, but you may still be in time to claim. The best thing to do is to complete a few forms on our website here to find out if you are still eligible to claim.

How online retail scams can arise from data leaks

Online retail scams can arise from data leaks when cybercriminals gain access to exposed information and then misuse it to try to trick people into falling for various tricks. They could use personal information that has been exposed in a data leak to contact people whilst passing themselves off as a legitimate organisation; perhaps one that the data breach victim has had dealings with in the past. If they can convince their victim that they are a legitimate company, they could direct them to fraudulent copycat websites or link them directly to log in areas where they can then steal access credentials.

If actual financial information such as banking data and payment card details have been stolen, these could be used to make purchases as part of direct online retail scams. In this kind of case, victims could lose money directly from their accounts, which can be difficult to recover in some circumstances.

The Virgin Media data breach – enough information

Online retail scams could arise from the Virgin Media data leak that affected some 900,000 people and was discovered at the start of 2020. As we said above, even a little bit of information can go a long way for criminals to misuse it to try to dupe people into handing over more information or being directed to fraudulent websites. The Virgin Media data leak involved the names and contact information of those affected, and we know that at least one unknown third party accessed the exposed database during the ten months it was available.

It is difficult to know how far information can go and where it could end up once it has been exposed, particularly after it has been left online for such a long period, as we saw in the Virgin Media data leak incident. If the data has fallen into the hands of criminals, they could try to misuse it at any point – now or in the future. Sometimes, they wait years before they act on the information they have, and it would be simple for somebody to contact one of the victims and try to pass themselves off as Virgin Media and then direct them to fraudulent copycat websites.

The risks are very real, and people need to be wary about being targeted in the wake of a data breach where personal information has been exposed.

Are you still in time to claim?

We have been representing thousands of people for cases on a No Win, No Fee basis who are affected by the Virgin Media data leak and are part of our group action for justice. You can find out if you are still in time to join the compensation action by completing a few forms on our website here now.

The content of this post/page was considered accurate at the time of the original posting and/or at the time of any posted revision. The content of this page may, therefore, be out of date. The information contained within this page does not constitute legal advice. Any reliance you place on the information contained within this page is done so at your own risk.