Woolworths staff dump bank details of customers in a skip

LONDON - Woolworths has left hundreds of customers at risk of identity fraud after dumping till receipts, containing bank details, in a skip.

The receipts include signatures, full bank account numbers and expiry dates, which can easily be used by criminals to clone someone's identity.

The Data Protection Act states that customers' receipts and other financial documents must be destroyed or stored securely.

Woolworths staff failed to shred the papers and they were thrown out with the rubbish a few weeks before the closure of its store in Loughton, Essex.

The 58 receipts have been passed on to the Information Commissioner's Office, which has launched an investigation.

The receipts clearly state the type of bank card used, its expiry date and the signature of the account holder. They also contain the cards' full 16-digit numbers, a practice condemned by the retail industry because it makes bank cloning so simple.

Most retailers follow the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, a code which states that only the first six or last four digits should be disclosed.

Administrators Deloitte may now have to write to each of the customers involved to notify them that their financial details could have been compromised.

It could force dozens of people to close accounts, check statements and order new bank cards and Pin numbers.

 

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