ASOS gave my account details to a stranger

jen66_2

Hi, I wonder of anyone can help me with the following situation. I received a phonecall yesterday from a girl who I have never met, saying that she had access to my account with ASOS. She had lost her password, sent ASOS customer care a request for a reminder and had been given a link and password (which was my password) which took her to my account. She was honest enough to call me, on the phone number that was stored in my account details (which she had full access to) and let me know that this had happened. My account has my address and several credit card details saved, plus a paypal account, and ASOS had given a stranger full access to this. I am outraged and have had no luck finding a contact number for ASOS, I emailed them immediately and have had a missed call (I was working) and email saying they had called and when to again. Since replying to this I have had no response. I have changed my password and deleted any payment detail in my account. In ASOS's one reply to me they have said they don't see how this was physically possible, clearly it shouldn't be - that's why I complained to them! Does anyone have any advice, I think this is a matter that deserves more attention than their basic customer services department. thank you.

angelcake

Thats awful! I don't know much about your rights with this but can you call her and get her to forward the email to you so you have the proof.

jen66_2

Thanks for the idea Angel, I have contacted the girl and asked if she can do that for me!

fluffnutter

They've contravened the data protection act by not keeping your personal data safe. I think they need to acknowledge this and do a thorough trawl of their systems and processes to understand how the breach occurred and therefore how to ensure it won't happen again.

You've done precisely the right thing by changing your password and removing your payment details. Thankfully the girl was honest and let's hope there are no more repercussions for you. However, the response from ASOS isn't good enough; this could quite easily happen again, unless they understand how it happened and ensure there is no system or process fault.

Write to head office, the CEO, whomever, but take it right to the top. In writing, not emails or phonecalls, and quoting their obligations under the DPA to keep your data safe and ask what they're going to do to prevent a recurrence. I think you need to be clear about what you want to happen. Are you after compensation? I personally wouldn't be; nothing's actually happened to adversely affect me but I'd certainly never shop with them again. But I would want to know what they were doing to prevent it happening again. But that might well be my professional interest - I work in IT and am responsible for data.

halibut2209

Whilst this is a terrible breach of your privacy (and several laws probably), I am thankful that your info was sent to someone of such honesty

jen66_2

Thanks fluffnutter & halibut2209. I'm just extremely concerned that this happened, and relieved that it was an honest person who was given the information. I feel that it is in the public's best interest to know about this and I want to make sure my concerns are heard by the right person, I will make an official complaint in writing and take things from there.

Freddie_Snowbits

OK, you may need to raise this with the Data Commisionors

FAQs
http://www.ico.gov.uk/Global/faqs/data_protection_for_the_public.aspx#f4A0D73FA-30DF-47E5-B061-3B9874C5E869

http://www.ico.gov.uk/complaints/data_protection.aspx

jen66_2

thanks freddie, that's really helpful.

Kingsd316

This is really bizarre, and as the agent who emailed you said it should not be possible for this to happen, the only possible explanation for this is a software bug, but there are so many various procedures in place they must have all gone wrong!

Not that this helps and ASOS should be held responsible, at least someone honest was given the link otherwise who knows what could have happened.

djsnakehipschris

Kingsd316 wrote: »

This is really bizarre, and as the agent who emailed you said it should not be possible for this to happen, the only possible explanation for this is a software bug, but there are so many various procedures in place they must have all gone wrong!

Not that this helps and ASOS should be held responsible, at least someone honest was given the link otherwise who knows what could have happened.

As someone who works in IT, I suspect PBKAU. Problem between keyboard and user. Otherwise it would be happening to more and more people.

Freddie_Snowbits

djsnakehipschris wrote: »

As someone who works in IT, I suspect PBKAU. Problem between keyboard and user. Otherwise it would be happening to more and more people.

Is called a seat interference anomonly, caused by long finger nails and too much chocolate. Cure is a sharp intake of breath after a sudden jolt.