More bank details stolen

UK BANK HALIFAX has written to 13,000 mortgage customers advising them that their confidential details were contained in documents stolen from a member of the bank's staff last week.

The bank very decently apologises for any inconvenience or loss of privacy this incident may cause and assures its punters that it is almost impossible (our italics) that any financial fraud could be committed with the stolen information.

A briefcase containing the customer details - including name, address, mortgage account number, approval status and balance - was stolen from a Halifax employee's car last Wednesday night.

"We are very sorry for any inconvenience or upset we may have caused our customers," bleats the letter. "Lessons have been learnt (sic). We are reviewing our procedures as a matter of urgency… …it is almost impossible to use the stolen customer information for fraudulent purposes. Customers can rest assured that the Halifax stands behind them."

While it may be reassuring to know that it's almost, but not quite, impossible for the data to be used for fraudulent purposes, perhaps customers might be even more reassured if financial institutions didn't allow their dim-witted employees to carry confidential information around with them, either on laptops or pieces of paper. µ

L'Inq
Halifax