In early 2022, Parasol – an umbrella company used by contractors across the UK to manage their payments – shut down some of its systems after “malicious activity” on its network. Parasol later admitted that cybercriminals accessed personal data in the ransomware attack.
Following the breach, our firm launched a group action to help those involved in the security failure claim compensation. And, over the last few weeks – almost a year after cybercriminals hacked Parasol’s systems – we have seen an influx of clients registering with us. This is because Parasol is only now formally notifying some contractors and employees that their data was affected in the breach.
As well as Parasol contractor information, we believe that some Parasol employee data was also exposed.
A data breach can result in both financial and identity theft. With enough stolen information, cybercriminals can apply for credit in your name, set up fraudulent bank accounts, use your cards to make payments, and access your existing accounts. Criminals also use stolen data in scams designed to extract additional information from victims (e.g., banking passwords). And hackers often sell stolen data to other criminals for future scams. Similar data breaches have resulted in fraud, blackmail, identity theft and more, so many contractors are experiencing high levels of distress. Even if no money is lost, the impact of a data breach can be significant. Many victims suffer from stress, anxiety, and distress due to living with the added risk and the extra vigilance needed.
Worryingly, because it has taken almost 12 months to let some people know that their data was accessed in this breach, they could have been left exposed all this time.
KP Law has launched an action to help those involved in the Parasol (Optionis) data security failure. We strongly urge anyone affected to register with us.
IF YOU ARE AFFECTED BY THE PARASOL DATA BREACH, CONTACT US TO MAKE A NO-WIN, NO-FEE COMPENSATION CLAIM.
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