In Case You Didn't Know, Revealing Your Bank Info Isn't Very Smart

from the thanks-for-pointing-that-out dept

In the wake of various huge data leaks in the UK, TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson wrote a column telling people it was no big deal and revealing his bank account information -- insisting that the only thing anyone could do with that info was put more money into his account. It turns out (not surprisingly) that's not quite true... and Clarkson discovered that after someone used his bank details to donate £500 of Clarkson's money to a charity without his knowledge. To Clarkson's credit, he has apologized:

"I opened my bank statement this morning to find out that someone has set up a direct debit which automatically takes £500 from my account. The bank cannot find out who did this because of the Data Protection Act and they cannot stop it from happening again. I was wrong and I have been punished for my mistake. Contrary to what I said at the time, we must go after the idiots who lost the discs and stick cocktail sticks in their eyes until they beg for mercy."

Add this story to the one about the CEO of an anti-identity-fraud company whose advertisements published his social security number... until that social security number was used for identity fraud.

Filed Under: bank details, data leak, jeremy clarkson