Report: Data regarding 10,000 Bank of Ireland customers stolen

RTE reports tonight that the Data commissioner of Ireland is investigating the larceny of four laptops which hold sensitive information regarding 10,000 Bank of Ireland customers,possibly nationwide.

Apparently four bank laptops were stolen between the months of June and October of 2007 however the data commissioner Billy Hawkes was only informed of the thefts in the last week.

It’s though the laptops contained data such as assurance details, bank account details, addresses and customer names.

Revelations that the data on the laptops is not encrypted prompted Mr. Hawkes to state that he is treating the loss of data “as a matter of urgency”.

There is no indication so far that any fraud has been committed so far in relation to the stolen details.

The data commissioner will now be investigating whether or not Bank of Ireland had sufficient security over their laptops. NewsTalk radio reported tonight that Bank of Ireland officials say there is little risk to its customers of fraud taking place but are taking the advice of Gardai on the matter.

NEW DETAILS
The branches affected are Bagnelstown and Courts Place in Carlow; Drogheda and Dunleer in Co Louth; and Montrose, Stephen’s Green and Tallaght in Dublin

Data Commissioners Website
Bank Of Ireland