Bank details on laptop stolen from city council

A COUNCIL is having to write to almost 38,000 customers after a laptop containing personal data, including bank account details, was stolen during an office break-in.

Glasgow City Council will contact 37,835 individuals and companies affected by the theft of the computer last month.

Bank account details of 10,382 companies and 6,069 individuals were included in the information on the laptop, although the data, containing names and addresses, relates to a total of 17,692 companies and 20,143 individuals.

Affected customers are council suppliers and people who receive winter fuel payments and care grants.

The laptop was password-protected but the information on it not encrypted. It is one of two stolen during a break-in at council offices in Cochrane Street between 28-29 May.

The extent of the data loss did not become apparent until 6 June, according to the council. It said no personal information was on the second laptop.

A council spokesman said: “We are in the process of writing to the people affected by this theft to alert them to the data loss and offer them advice about what steps they might need to take.

“We are sorry that this has happened and apologise for the inconvenience it has caused.

“Customers should remember that no-one from the council would ever call at their home or telephone them to ask for personal information, such as banking details. A bank will never ask for a customer’s Pin or for a whole security number or password.”

The council said it has informed the Information Commissioner and police, has contacted customers’ banks where appropriate and said an investigation is being carried out by its internal audit section.