Data breach leading to increase in unwanted spam.
Paul* was the subject of a data breach when his employer was hacked and his personal and sensitive financial information was put at risk.
As a direct result of that hack, Paul was subsequently bombarded with unwanted spam calls and text messages, some of which became quite personal. This proved to be very distressing and resulted in Paul and his family suffering from distress and worry. Paul was diagnosed with an anxiety-related psychological condition that would require treatment to help him fully recover.
As the spam could be traced back to the original data hack, Paul was able to claim for the breach of his data and the injury caused.
Unfortunately, this situation is not limited to employers as such data is often held by public organisations, GPs, finance houses and public service suppliers. If you feel that your data has been compromised and you can track any increase in unwanted calls, entails, texts etc. back to that breach, you may have a claim for compensation. In the first instance you should report the breach to the ICO so they can investigate.
If you have experienced something similar to Paul then contact our experts today for advice on whether you can claim and what to do next.
*Not real name