back to article Massive TalkTalk data breach STILL causing customer scam tsunami

A fresh wave of scammers appear to be targeting TalkTalk customers, following a massive data theft earlier this year, The Register has learned. In February, TalkTalk admitted to suffering a major breach into its users' sensitive information, which may have led to some customers handing over bank data to hackers. In an email …

  1. Valeyard

    tech support

    Unfortunately, when I contacted tech support I was unable to convince the person I spoke to get Talk Talk to put out a general warning

    whether that person wanted to or whether they were clockwatching until lunch time they're tech support, and have precisely 0 authority in anything, or know anyone who'd know anyone who'd know anyone who would

    I've worked in broadband tech support, you're isolated from the company

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    1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. paulf
      Holmes

      Re: Talk Talk

      What makes you think they'll get any kind of fine?

      Typical MO at the ICO is to send out a nice letter and a leaflet to the company in question advising them to check their security, if it's ok with them and they don't mind, and to improve it if possible, pretty please; but if you don't then that's ok too we know these things are difficult.

      1. FidotheFrightful

        Re: Talk Talk

        Well in two years time the general Data Protection Regulation will make those in charge of this shambles liable for a 70K fine and a criminal record. See here for more info:

        http://ec.europa.eu/justice/data-protection/review/index_en.htm

  3. Mark Allen

    Annoying lack of interest from TalkTalk

    This scam got one of my clients. They phoned up and had so much of his TalkTalk info that he assumed it was legitimate. They then passed him around various departments and managers while scaring him into installing remote control software. They attempted to setup a Western Union money transfer, which didn't work. But they did get his debit card details out of him and drained £400 from his account.

    Police are now involved... but don't hold out much hope in plod doing anything.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I've had a couple of these so far ringing me and it's excellent sport.

  5. Camilla Smythe

    In February the company said it was liaising with UK data watchdog the Information Commissioner's Office and was writing to all of its customers to offer advice about the criminal activity negotiating places on the board.

    GCHQ and Huawei were not available for comment.

  6. pogul

    I got a call from the scammers, they had my name, address, account number etc. When I talked to TalkTalk I was told that I have nothing to worry about and that nothing important had been leaked/stolen. I beg to differ. As a company they are simply failing to either understand or acknowledge how serious this is.

  7. RogerT

    When I'm called by anyone I always ask questions to ascertain the caller is who they say they are. The problem is the agents are often given access to insufficient information to answer any such questions and I end up refusing to continue the conversation. But what else can I do?

    1. James 100

      Last time I emailed the clowns, they requested a bunch of information "for security" - information which was already included in the email they were replying to. I pointed this out, and got an identical cut and paste obstruction from a differently-named drone. Ironic, since the original email was just complaining about their lousy unresponsive customer service, not related to any confidential customer details anyway...

    2. paulf
      Flame

      If someone calls me, usually from a withheld number as tends to be the case with all corporate PBX systems, I refuse to deal with them as they usually start the call with "Please give me all your personal data so I can confirm your identity". Hang on, you, that I don't know from Adam/Eve, called me from a withheld number and you expect to confirm my identity??

      Give me your name and extension number and I'll call back on the main number, now fuck off.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    My brother was with them and it was next to impossible to get through to anyone that spoke any sort of sense. So any intelligent authorative sounding person on the phone is obviously a scam imho.

  9. Winkypop Silver badge
    Devil

    ID me, ID you!

    A call centre drone for an actual company you use, rings you up out of the blue. (Marketing)

    They then proceed to ask YOU to identify yourself.

    ????

    I'm sure they can hear me laughing as I hang up.

  10. Tsung

    The other problem is...

    The call centers are usually located in other countries so when a call comes through you are not suspicious of the withheld number nor the slightly non-native English person talking to you. They sound a bit foreign, but they have all my details, fair enough must be genuine.

    I had this recently with Barclay's who decided (without prompting) to call me regarding an upgrade to the company online banking system. I refused to to talk to the person, she had all the details but without any indication from Barclay's they were doing this, I wasn't biting. Later on I find out the call was genuinely from Barclay's.

    Talk talk should be held liable for any customer who is caught out and should be made to pay back any money lost. Then on top of that, a big fine for failing to protect customer data + failing to properly notify customers of the breach.

    1. Ritasoldman

      Re: The other problem is...

      The really annoying part is this. I was scammed on 28th January and took it upon myself to email personally the CEO, Dido Harding. I told her all about the scam, how it worked and I begged her or one of her staff to immediately inform all customer so they could be aware of this scam. I have since found out that another victim informed TalkTalk as early as January 6th. Was any notice taken of our communications? No, unfortunately not, so yet another victim loses money to the scam in early February, and like me Santander are refusing recompense. Surely this must be seen as gross negligence on the TalkTalk CEO and Senior Managements part.

      Perhaps a hefty fine, perhaps an order to compensate victims, I doubt it. Victims have been made quite aware that they have no liability and that the Banks should reimburse lost monies.

      Between a Rock and a Hard Place comes to mind

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Advantage of being in the European Union?

    Our European friends take a far dimmer view of data breaches, and the upcoming legislation that allows a fine of 5% of revenues for an organisation in breach might just get their attention.

    An iCloud beach could prop up the Euro on it's own.

  12. Vin2015

    They are still at it

    The Talk-Talk scam is still going on. Interesting that TalkTalk describes it as an attack - their own staff selling on customer details would be far more accurate.  A few weeks ago I reported a fault and within days the scammers were calling with with full details of the fault as well as my account details. I almost fell for it but realised what they were up to when the mentioned giving me an online refund as compensation.  Reported the matter to Talk-Talk and was sent back a 'full and final email' containing the usual waffle but basically doing nothing.  I've now read about this in so many forums covering a long period of time that it's clear Talk-Talk don't really care about its customers' security so I'll be changing supplier.

  13. FidotheFrightful

    Talk Talk data loss

    Well according to EU regulation 611 /2013 TalkTalk should have warned all likely affected customers by secure means in accordance with Article 3 of this Regulation. Well as a TalkTalk customer I 've had no such notification and I doubt whether any other customer has!!!

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