By CRM Staff
London, United Kingdom — June 11, 2017 — Two homes in the UK were recently searched as part of an ongoing investigation by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The investigation, Operation Pelham, was launched in early 2016 and prompted by concerns raised by members of the UK’s National Body Repair Association that their customer data had been unlawfully accessed.
An official statement says the ICO has reason to believe the information was then unlawfully traded and could be linked to some customers receiving nuisance calls.
The calls encourage people to make personal injury claims about road traffic accidents being linked to the theft of data from the car repair centres.
Computers and phones were seized during the searches. The items will now be subject to forensic examination and investigation.
“This illegal trade has multiple negative effects – both on the car repair businesses targeted for their customer data and the subsequent nuisance calls made to customers. These can be extremely unsettling and distressing,” said Mike Shaw, ICO Criminal Investigations Group Manager. “Our searches this week are the latest step in us tracking down the unscrupulous individuals involved in this industry. These people won’t get away with it – any person or business involved in the theft and illegal trade of personal data may find themselves subject to ICO action.”
ICO investigators are looking at how the data was stolen, who stole it and which companies have subsequently made calls to the public encouraging them to make compensation claims about to accidents they may have been involved in.
Operation Pelham has so far involved search warrants executed on a business and two other homes in December 2016, and other searches conducted at homes in April 2017.
A statement from the ICO says the organization continues to work closely with the UK’s National Body Repair Association on the investigation.
There is another, separate, ongoing ICO investigation also related to the illegal acquisition of data from the automotive repair industry. This has involved a search in London in February.
