The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has raided two houses and a business in the North West, following a tip that people in the premises were involved in the illegal sale of personal data from the motor trade.
The raids are connected to an ongoing investigation into hundreds of thousands of cold calls made to people to encourage them to make personal injury claims in relation to road traffic accidents.
Mike Shaw, Enforcement Group Manager at the ICO, said: “We know lots of people get these calls suggesting they’ve been involved in an accident, and wonder how the caller had their details”.
“The answer is that lists of people who’ve been involved in car accidents can be valuable leads to claims companies. That information is difficult to come by, even for the more disreputable firms, so data on people who’ve simply had their vehicles repaired is still prized, even though many of those people won’t have been involved in any accident”.
Jason Moseley, Director of RMI Bodyshops said: “We are pleased to hear that investigations into the illegal trade of motorists personal data are proving successful”.
He added: “We are committed to helping eradicate this type of behaviour which is tarnishing our sectors reputation. RMI Bodyshops members recognise the importance of ensuring motorists details remain confidential and we will continue to protect our member’s reputations by doing whatever it takes to prevent and stop this behaviour”.
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