MoD 'loses' 600,000 identities after laptop is stolen
Saturday, 19 Jan 2008 20:06
600,000 people have identities lost by theft of Ministry of Defence laptop
A police investigation has been launched after a Ministry of Defence (MoD) laptop containing the identities of 600,000 people was stolen.
Defence officials say the laptop was stolen from a Royal Navy officer's parked car in Edgbaston, Birmingham, in the early hours of January 10th.
The MoD said it has only made the information public because it did not want to impact on West Midlands police's investigation into the theft.
A statement confirmed a "large quantity" of personal data had been lost along with the laptop, including the passport details, National Insurance numbers, drivers' licence details, family details, and NHS numbers of people who "have either expressed an interest in, or have joined, the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines and the Royal Air Force".
An MoD spokesperson insisted the ministry was treating the incident with the "utmost seriousness".
"We are writing to some 3,500 people whose bank details were included on the database," the representative explained.
"Action has already been taken with the assistance of [payments association] Apacs to inform the relevant banks so that the relevant accounts can be flagged for scrutiny against unauthorised access."
West Midlands police added: "The matter is being thoroughly and professionally investigated at this time, in conjunction with Ministry of Defence police."
A helpline is in the process of being set up for affected individuals, but in the meantime the MoD is asking concerned people to contact them through the email address recruitdata@check.mod.uk.
The data loss is the latest in a series of high-profile incidents involving the government.
In November chancellor Alistair Darling apologised to the House of Commons when 25 million child benefit claimants had their identities lost in the post, while three million learner drivers suffered a similar fate in December.
Defence secretary Des Browne is expected to make a statement to MPs on Monday.