If you think your personal information is being safely kept by your mobile operator, you should think again with reports surfacing that records of T-Mobile users in the UK were sold for cash.

In a statement issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), consumer data of an unnamed mobile company was said to have been compromised by a staff, who sold records, including contract information, to brokers for “substantial amounts” of money.

When phone carriers 02, Vodafone, Orange, 3 and Virgin denied that they were being investigated by the commission, T-Mobile confirmed it was the subject of the inquiry.
The ICO said customer data was sold to the service provider’s competitors so their agents could call customers prior to their contract expiry dates, allowing them to offer alternate contracts.

“We are considering the evidence with a view to prosecuting those responsible and I am keen to go much further and close down the entire unlawful industry in personal data,” Commissioner Christopher Graham said.

Graham further explained that imposing fines is too soft to discourage people from engaging in such a “lucrative criminal activity,” and that the threat of going behind bars would be a stronger suit against offenders.

“If public trust and confidence in the proper handling of personal information, whether by government or by others, is to be maintained effective sanctions are essential,” Graham added.

The Telegraph quoted a T-Mobile spokesperson saying clients’ information was being passed to third party brokers “without our knowledge.”

“When it became apparent that contract renewal information was being passed on by an employee to third parties without our knowledge, we alerted the Information Commissioner’s Office.”

“While it is deeply regrettable that customer information has been misappropriated in this way, we have proactively supported the ICO to help stamp out what is a problem for the whole industry,” the official said.

In reaction to the biggest data breach to date, Justice Minister Michael Wills told BBC News: “Given the scale of public concern about privacy of their data, I think we have to look at going further and custodial sentences clearly have to be a part of that.”

“We need a beefed-up information commissioner with a full set of punitive strings to his bow, including the power to fine organizations,” conservative justice spokeswoman Eleanor Laing said for her part.

Meanwhile, the ICO already obtained search warrants to enter the premises of T-Mobile and have also interviewed employees to get to the bottom of the matter and prosecute the guilty party. (Grace R)

Sources: Information Commissioner’s Office, Telegraph and BBC News