HMRC sent my P60 back to someone else!

Mrs_Money

I don't want to be alarmist, but I have today received a letter from someone who was sent my P60 (well, 2 actually as I have 2 part-time jobs) by HMRC. This incredible breach of security has put me at serious risk of identity theft as, of course, everything about me was on those documents- NI number, name, address, name and address of employers - what more would a scammer need? My name and address was correct on the covering letter, so I can only assume my documents have been folded up inside this other person's (as HMRC use window envelopes) and thus have gone to him.

This kind person has informed HMRC and returned my P60s to them as they requested (supposedly so they could assess the security breach), but then he wrote to me and sent me copies of my documents, because he doubted that the tax office would actually inform me. He has written a complaint to HMRC and I will too of course.

But - who am I to address this letter of complaint to? I assume it will be to the Newcastle address - but that's a bit general, I feel. I'm just a bit shocked at the moment and want to make sure I do the correct thing. I'm not even sure what good a complaint will do - but I'm still going to make one anyway.
Any help/advice would be good - I still can't quite believe this has happened.

scheming_gypsy

it's not a breach of security it's human error where your letter managed to get mixed up with somebody elses.

Mrs_Money

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

it's not a breach of security it's human error where your letter managed to get mixed up with somebody elses.

Well, most security breaches are human error - doesn't mean it's at all acceptable. I seem to have been lucky that the person who received it was honest - others may not be so lucky.

suso

write into the address on the letter that came with it,

Mark it as a complaint,

When the person that received the p60's reported the mistake, then a security incident report would have been raised and traced to the person that issued the letter, and disciplinary process would have been started.


Matthew 26:52 applies in this case.

chrismac1

This sort of thing - and I have examples in my own database - is what most annoys me about the HMRC practice of asking people to supply data they already have. If there is a way of screwing it up they'll find it.

suso

chrismac1 wrote: »

This sort of thing - and I have examples in my own database - is what most annoys me about the HMRC practice of asking people to supply data they already have. If there is a way of screwing it up they'll find it.

a strangely irrelevant post from a quite frankly irrelevant person.

No circumstances were quoted why the P60's were originally sent to HMRC , there is not mention of them requesting them. simply that some poor person has returned them to another person by accident.

chrismac1 wrong again and jumping to another conclusion , its just embarrassing.

Mrs_Money

chrismac1 wrote: »

This sort of thing - and I have examples in my own database - is what most annoys me about the HMRC practice of asking people to supply data they already have. If there is a way of screwing it up they'll find it.

Indeed - I had overpaid tax (of course HMRC have the data - they already know that) and so had to send off my P60 to get a rebate. All quite unnecessary in my opinion - but that's the system I've had to use for several years now.
I now have the rebate (it took 8 weeks) - but my P60s are doing a tour of the country and hopefully I will actually get them back at some point.

chrismac1

Apologies to suso, I had jumped the gun and assumed that what Mrs. Money has said would be the case because it is so commonplace.

chrismac1

What really annoys me is things like the tax office in the Midlands (can't recall exactly which one) where the Inspector told me before I posted a P60 for one client "our post goes via Cardiff". It is inevitable that post is going to get lost all too frequently when you set up things like this, not to mention the delays which it most certainly builds into the system. This sort of rubbish needs to be challenged.