Bord Gáis stolen laptops: thieves could have access to set up their own direct debit!

Brendan Burgess

Brendan Burgess

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Summary in case you don't want to read the entire thread

A laptop was stolen which contained your name, your address, your bank account number and your sort code.

It is very unlikely that the thieves or the new owner of the PC knows that they have this information. They probably have wiped the disk already.

This information is on every cheque you write anyway. They did not get any sensitive information.

If someone has this information, then they can walk into a bank and try to withdraw money from your account. It is very unlikely that they would be given money.

They could try to set up a direct debit, but they would not get away with it.

There have been no reports of anyone losing any money from their bank account through this theft.

What should you do?
Do what you should do anyway - check all transactions on your bank account to make sure that no errors have been made. Maybe do it weekly for a while instead of monthly.

Other issues discussed in this thread
Why did Bord Gais not encrypt their laptops?
Should they be fined for this security lapse?
 
Bord Gáis customer details on stolen laptops: is it safe to continue my bank account, as thieves could have access to set up their own direct debit,with all my details.

RTE said:
Bord Gáis customer details on stolen laptops

Wednesday, 17 June 2009 19:50

A laptop computer containing bank account details of 75,000 Bord Gáis customers has been stolen in Dublin.
...............
The computer was not encrypted.

The incident occurred early on Friday 5 June when the Bord Gáis offices in Dublin and a number of adjacent offices were burgled.

While Bord Gáis will not comment directly on which customers were affected, the information did relate in part to people who recently switched over from the ESB in the company's Big Switch campaign.
.............
It added any customers affected by this will be contacted by Bord Gáis Energy directly early next week.
Click to expand...
 
Re: board gais stolen laptops

Contact your Bank directly - your hardly going to wait for the letter in the post next week from Bord Gais if you have been effected.
 
Re: board gais stolen laptops

Contact Bord Gais first surely? If they're going to send a letter to those affected by the theft then they already know whose affected.

Unlikely you'll get anything more than a "be vigilante, watch your bank statements for suspect activity" though...
 
Re: Bord gais stolen laptops: thieves could have access to set up their own direct de

hopalong said:
Bord Gáis customer details on stolen laptops: is it safe to continue my bank account, as thieves could have access to set up their own direct debit,with all my details.
Click to expand...
What information did you give to Bord Gais that doesn't appear on every cheque you have ever written?
 
Re: Bord Gáis stolen laptops: thieves could have access to set up their own direct de

Can they also take a loan out in your name, and will you be liable to repay it.

That is the big question!!!!!

Your thoughts please.
 
Re: Bord gais stolen laptops: thieves could have access to set up their own direct de

Complainer said:
What information did you give to Bord Gais that doesn't appear on every cheque you have ever written?
Click to expand...

Im not sure what BG ask for but I imagine they hold the following information:
Billing address (more than likely coincides with the address on the bank account)
Contact phone numbers and email addresses.

Perhaps they also hold credit histories and credit ratings?
 
Re: Bord gais stolen laptops: thieves could have access to set up their own direct de

ajapale said:
Im not sure what BG ask for but I imagine they hold the following information:
Billing address (more than likely coincides with the address on the bank account)
Contact phone numbers and email addresses.

Perhaps they also hold credit histories and credit ratings?
Click to expand...

Don't need any of that to set up a direct debit.

They can't do much with sort code / account numbers really, there's not much to worry about.

However there's no reason to store them on a laptop.
 
Re: Bord Gáis stolen laptops: thieves could have access to set up their own direct de

Hmmmmmm
Saw this on Boards.ie, apparently Jeremy Clarkson felt that all this data protection stuff was tosh have a read

I'd forgotten about Mr Clarkson, for those who think "this is of no consequence" have a read. Thankfully we live in a country with a high level of regulation of the banking industry and NEVER have any issues with the quality of those employed or the standards they bring to the workplace

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7174760.stm
 
Re: Bord Gáis stolen laptops: thieves could have access to set up their own direct de

I think some direct debits also contain addresses. In reply to Hobbs 256 you are not liable for a loan drawn in your name if it was not you.
 
Re: Bord Gáis stolen laptops: thieves could have access to set up their own direct de

What was the information doing on an unencrypted laptop? I would have expected this to be on their mainframe.
 
Re: Bord gais stolen laptops: thieves could have access to set up their own direct de

Nermal said:
Don't need any of that to set up a direct debit.

They can't do much with sort code / account numbers really, there's not much to worry about.

However there's no reason to store them on a laptop.
Click to expand...

Well the application i filled out as part of the IFA Power which is in conjunction with Bord Gais, i had to fill out name, address, phone number, NAME OF BANK, BANK BRANCH, ACCOUNT NUMBER, SORT CODE....

Its not good enough at all!!
 
Re: Bord gais stolen laptops: thieves could have access to set up their own direct de

Complainer said:
What information did you give to Bord Gais that doesn't appear on every cheque you have ever written?
Click to expand...

Complainer has it right.

In order to set up a Direct Debit you must:
1. Have an original signed mandate by the payer
2. The originator ( Bord Gais, ESB, dodgy person) must have an Originator's Identification Number supplied by the bank. I know from experience that this is very difficult to get.

In order to access any bank account you need at least a password and often security questions answered. None of these are held by Bord Gais or any other bodies who may have direct debit mandates.
 
Re: Bord Gáis stolen laptops: thieves could have access to set up their own direct de

This is load of media hype. You can do next to nothing with Name, Address, Sortcode, Account number. Even if they did use them to direct debt accounts the banks would end up refunding everyone.

I have seen and had to fix some **** *** done by people/companies direct debiting. For this reason I don't like them, but RTE must have covered this non event story 4 times this morning.:mad:
 
Re: Bord Gáis stolen laptops: thieves could have access to set up their own direct de

But somebody could go in to a bank branch and attempt to take out money in person if they have the a/c number and sort code could they not? I know that I am not always asked for ID when I withdraw relatively small sums of money (100-200), and I am not known at the bank so it's not as if they recognise me. If they did this to even a small proportion of the accounts that they have details of I think they would be making a fortune.
 
Re: Bord Gáis stolen laptops: thieves could have access to set up their own direct de

You needed to give, name address, date of birth, email address, phone number, bank account name, bank account number, bank address.
 
Re: Bord Gáis stolen laptops: thieves could have access to set up their own direct de

This is a load of hype over nothing.
For a company to set up to be paid by DD is very difficult. And it certinly could not be done by simply registering a compay name & opening a new bank account.
As has been said nothing can be done with a bank account & sort code. Think about it. When you are setting up online payments your service providor has to give you their account number sort code & address...
All this information is on your cheques etc...
You address is on the electoral register..
Relax
 
Re: Bord Gáis stolen laptops: thieves could have access to set up their own direct de

For a company to set up to be paid by DD is very difficult. And it certinly could not be done by simply registering a compay name & opening a new bank account.
As has been said nothing can be done with a bank account & sort code. Think about it. When you are setting up online payments your service providor has to give you their account number sort code & address...
All this information is on your cheques etc...
Click to expand...

You may be correct but if it can happen to Jeremy Clarkson..... see my earlier post, also when I had my account with ESB (I switched) I was on dd, they did not ask for a signed mandate, I gather that they, and I presume BGE and various other big companies get the bank acc sort code and name. They then do a bank run, and assuming that the details are correct, remember the bank do not know that the utility account number
does not relate to Corkrebel but is actually in the name of say Brian Cowen money is transferred. I used to actually pay my mothers ESB account by my dd a year or two ago.
Your right the chances are small and I am convinced it is a bunch of kids who saw an opportunity. But it would be naive to believe there is no risk in my opinion at least
 
Re: Bord gais stolen laptops: thieves could have access to set up their own direct de

callybags said:
Complainer has it right.

In order to set up a Direct Debit you must:
1. Have an original signed mandate by the payer.
Click to expand...
Not at all. Many organisations don't ask for signed mandates.
 
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