HSBC Warning

care23

Hi,

Warning to business users who have HSBC accounts. Unbelievably HSBC gave out my entire business accounts, IP and information to an ex employee turned competitor. They did this with no signatures or security checks, not once but on THREE separate occasions!

How can this happen????

Out of sheer frustration I have set up a web site for this. Please heed the warning. :mad:

As a new user I cannot post a link but if anyone wants it quite happy to PM.

wealdroam

When the ex-employee was an employee, did he have access to the HSBC account?

If so, did you remove that authority by writing to HSBC?

Is this really a consumer issue?

RadoJo

I too am intrigued as to how this came about - could you enlighten us OP?

bargainbetty

If you had either removed his access privileges (or never granted them) then make a formal complaint to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO, you can Google it) and lodge a complaint regarding breach of the Data Protection Act.

Also lodge a formal complaint against HSBC for any damages incurred, and change your bank at high speed.

GillsMan7

As a business account holder at HSBC I'd be interested in learning more. But I suspect the OP didn't fulfil his obligations by removing his ex-employee from the authorised users list.

Also, HSBC gave out your IP address? Really? While an IP address doesn't constitute personal data, I can't see under what circumstances they'd give this out.

Edit: Just found the link: http://www.hsbc-gave-away-my-info.com/

- Funnily enough, just the other day I opined that any who has to describe themselves as an entrepreneur invariably isn't an entrepreneur.

- I see now that by IP you mean Intellectual Property, not IP address.

- Having read the story in full, something doesn't ring true. To test, I'm going to ask for a copy of a statement from my business account on Saturday. I'm willing to bet that I won't get anything without some form of proof. If I'm wrong, I'll hold my hands up and accept there's a problem.

care23

Hi GillsMan,

The chap who got my information was never on the authorised users list on any of the businesses at any point. That's one of the reasons I am so suprised. Unfortunately it is true, the bank have admitted so and apologised, in writing. Well, more kind of shrugged and sorry actually but still an admission.
So, I built that site out of frustration in a hope that I can help warn others.

As far as the use of the word Entrepreneur; I agree it is widely overused for people who have one small business or have built a few small businesses often in the same niche. I think an entrepeneur should be someone who can build, at scale, innovative products or services in different sectors (not always succesffully!) though should have exited (sold) at least one to take that moniker. So, although its a bit cringey, I am an entrepeneur.

Thanks for your interest in my story, the more people that spread the word the better.