Lloyds Bank accidental data leak affects dozen customers

The UK bank has mistakenly sent information to a customer that affects a dozen of its other clients.

In December, a customer of the UK-based Lloyds Banking Group received a package sent via first-class post. It contained detailed information about their portfolio along with a dozen portfolios of other Lloyds customers.

After receiving the package, the customer logged a complaint with the bank about the data breach to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s privacy watchdog.

According to the Financial Times, Lloyds Banking Group issued an apology and blamed human error for exposing its customers’ data including names, addresses, and portfolio movements.

In an email to the customer, bank representatives said that prior to sending quarterly statements, the bank wants to ensure accuracy by randomly selecting customers, printing their statements, and reviewing them.

“Unfortunately, when the package was received in our office, a member of staff opened it and found your statement on top. They mistakenly posted the entire package to your address without following the correct procedure,” the email quoted by The Financial Times said.

The bank also offered the customer £300 in compensation for the “distress and inconvenience.”

According to the outlet’s source, the dozen people whose data was exposed are being contacted to inform them about the situation.

In 2013, the ICO reportedly fined Lloyds-owned Bank of Scotland with a £75,000 fine after it found that the lender had repeatedly sent faxes that included customer details to the wrong recipients.