News

Should you use the Police Federation to get compensation for the Equiniti data breach?

In August 2019, over 750 annual benefit statements for police officers of Sussex Police were sent to the wrong postal addresses. Equiniti, a company that provides support to help manage company pensions, was responsible for distributing these statements. We believe that a failure to implement robust data management processes caused this error. And, as such, we are holding Equiniti to account.

Nevertheless, when news of this breach broke, the Police Federation told victims of this data breach that they did not have a claim. We disagreed with the assessment and started a test case against Equiniti. We believe that we will win this case. And now, it looks like the Police Federation does too, as it is contacting members to get them to sign them up to their legal services in a bid to secure compensation. So, our test case has proven that there is indeed a case to be answered.

However, we would advise victims of the Equiniti data breach not to use the Police Federation to claim in this case. Here is why:

The Police Federation initially told members that the officers affected in this data breach were not entitled to compensation. This is incorrect as is being proven by our data protection experts.
We believe that the Police Federation will seek a fixed amount of compensation for officers affected by this breach. However, this doesn’t take into account the different levels of harm suffered. We will take the specific circumstances of each officer into account when seeking compensation.
We have already negotiated with Equiniti in regard to this data breach and understand the nuances of this case better than any other legal team.
Our firm has one of the most experienced data breach teams in the UK. And because we also possess significant multi-party experience, this is a formidable combination when it comes to taking on big players and complicated group actions. In fact, in addition to our Equiniti data breach action, we are also running a separate case against the Police Federation for its own data protection failures.

Put simply; we believe that appointing our data breach solicitors is the best way to hold Equiniti to account and get the compensation you deserve. Our process is fully compliant with ICO guidance, and we never put your details at risk.

What data was included in the Equiniti data breach?

The police annual benefit statements compromised in this breach included the following information:

Name
National Insurance number
Equiniti account number
Salary banding
Member reference
Date of Birth
Police service details
Current pension figure
Projected pension figure.

This is a huge amount of personal and highly sensitive data. And the damage that could be caused should this fall into the wrong hands should not be underestimated. Criminals are perfectly capable of committing both identity fraud and financial theft with this information.

What can you claim for?

Many of the officers who have contacted us about this breach have suffered significant shock, distress, anxiety, and stress. But you do not need to have suffered any financial loss or emotional distress to claim against Equiniti.

Should your personal data be found to be compromised in this breach you can claim for:

Financial loss

With stolen data, cybercriminals can make purchases using your bank and credit cards, apply for credit in your name, set up fraudulent bank accounts and access your existing online accounts.

Distress

Cybercrime and data breaches can have a significant impact on you, both mentally and physically. They can cause or exacerbate anxiety, stress and other psychological conditions.

Loss of privacy

Your data has value, and organisations must be held to account if they fail to protect your right to data privacy.

Register today to join our no-win, no-fee Equiniti data breach claim

When it comes to legal support, large organisations are smarter and better resourced than ever before. And it can be difficult for some lawyers to stand up to such strength when representing clients after a data breach.

At KP Law, we know what it takes to make a successful data breach compensation claim.

Our data breach team has the legal expertise and resources necessary to take on the corporate giants. We have supported thousands of multi-claimant and group-action data breach clients, and we can do the same for you.

Keller Postman