Data breach leads to loss of personal files of 1,400 students

Published on Friday 25 January 2008 20:53

THE personal details of 1,400 Scottish students have gone missing after being sent by courier to a research firm, in the latest of a series of data breaches by public bodies.

Five boxes of forms completed by students taking part in a survey at seven colleges vanished five weeks ago. The lost data included names, addresses, dates of birth, telephone numbers and demographic information, such as ethnicity.

Bank or National Insurance details were not included on the forms, but the information could prove valuable to fraudsters.

Students at Aberdeen, Adam Smith, Anniesland, Barony, Dundee, North Highland and Telford colleges could all be affected.

The Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council (SFC), which commissioned the survey, yesterday wrote to warn the students of the loss.

Roger McClure, the SFC's chief executive, said: "I very much regret that this has taken place and offer my personal apologies to the students concerned.

"We are now taking extra steps to prevent such a loss recurring," he added.

A data-security expert warned that the information detailed on the forms was enough to spark identity theft. Dr David Everett, the principal consultant at data-security specialists Microexpert, said: "That is the core information you need to copy someone's identity.

"It is significant," he said. "If you have people's names, addresses and dates of birth it is a start, and the more information you have the more you can do with it."

Eight boxes containing the paper forms were sent on 13 December by Research Resource to York Consulting LLP by City Link, but only three arrived.

The aim of the Learner Choice survey, conducted between October and December last year, was to discover how students choose courses.

James Alexander, the president of NUS Scotland, said: "It is a disappointment, and I hope that procedures are put in place to make sure this doesn't happen again.

"However, students should not be discouraged from filling out surveys, because they are a key part of decision-making."

Sue Pinder, convener of the Association of Scotland's Colleges Principals' Forum, said this was a one-off incident in relation to an external survey.

Meanwhile, it emerged that Marks and Spencer broke data-protection rules after a laptop containing staff pension details was stolen during a burglary.

&#149 Students worried about the data loss can call a special helpline on 0131-270 6056.

MILLIONS HIT BY MISSING FILES

MAY: The personal details of three million learner drivers are lost by an American company working for the UK government.

NOVEMBER: It emerges that two computer discs containing child benefit data relating to 25 million people have gone missing.

JANUARY: A Royal Navy officer's laptop containing the details of 600,000 people is revealed to have been stolen from a vehicle parked overnight in Edgbaston, Birmingham. The data included passport, National Insurance and driving licence numbers, family details and NHS numbers for 153,000 people who had applied to join the armed forces, along with the banking details of about 3,700 people.