This guide discusses when you could be eligible to make a bank statements data breach claim. Key legislation dictates how certain parties handle your personal data. But if they don’t abide by their legal obligations and you suffer psychological harm, monetary loss or both, claiming personal data breach compensation might be possible. You can find further guidance on the eligibility requirements later in this guide.
Additionally, we discuss how a breach involving your bank statements could occur and the personal data that could be affected as a result.
You will be awarded a settlement if you’re successful in your bank data breach claim. We will explore what this could comprise and the resources available to assign value to your case.
Since certain eligibility criteria must be met, we will also look at how you can support your case. This includes outlining potential evidence that you could gather and provide.
Finally, this guide examines the benefits you could expect from working with one of our panel of solicitors under a specific type of No Win No Fee contract.
To find out if you can instruct one of the solicitors from our panel, get in touch today. An advisor will discuss the details of your case to determine its validity. You can get started today by:
- Phoning us using 020 8050 3051
- Making an online enquiry by completing our Contact Us form
- Speaking with us on our website via live chat
Browse Our Guide
- Can You Claim For A Bank Statements Data Breach?
- How Could A Bank Statements Data Breach Happen?
- How Much Compensation Could You Receive For A Bank Data Breach?
- Actions That Could Help You Make A Data Breach Claim
- Use No Win No Fee Data Protection Breach Solicitors To Claim Compensation
- Read More About How To Claim For A Bank Statements Data Breach
Can You Claim For A Bank Statements Data Breach?
Bank statements are examples of personal data that a data controller or data processor could process. A data controller chooses why and how your data is used and can elect to process it themselves. Alternatively, they can outsource the processing of your data to a data processor. In such circumstances, the processor would act on the controller’s directive.
Personal data is information that can identify you, whether alone or when used with other information. This can include your name, address, account number and sort code, all of which can be found on a bank statement.
The UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) govern how controllers and processors handle your personal data. If they breach their legal obligations, causing your personal data to become compromised, you could suffer psychological harm, financial loss or both.
As defined by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), an independent executive body in the UK, a personal data breach involves a security incident that alters the confidentiality, integrity and availability of personal data.
If you want to pursue compensation due to a bank statements data breach, you must meet certain eligibility criteria. This involves showing that:
- A data controller or processor failed to adhere to the UK GDPR or DPA
- Because of their failings, a breach occurred compromising your personal data
- You experienced psychological harm, financial loss or both, as a direct result of the breach
You might be uncertain whether you qualify for personal data breach compensation. That’s where our team of advisors come in. They are here to help and can provide a free consultation to uncover your case’s eligibility.
How Could A Bank Statements Data Breach Happen?
When a party handling your personal data fails in their obligation to abide by data protection laws, it could compromise your personal data. This could cause you monetary loss, mental harm, or both.
Banks provide statements to inform you of your banking activity. Below, are examples of how a bank statements data breach could occur.
- Your statement could be incorrectly posted to the wrong address when the bank doesn’t update its system with your new address. This could lead to unauthorised access of your sort code and account number resulting in money being stolen from your account causing you financial loss.
- Due to insufficient cybersecurity, a data breach at a bank could occur through a cyber hack. This could lead to your bank statements being leaked. The details from your bank statements could be used to make fraudulent purchases in your name. As a result, you could experience both financial loss and mental harm in the form of stress and anxiety.
- While purchasing a house, you could provide your bank statements for anti-money laundering purposes. Your conveyancer might accidentally email this to another person. You might suffer stress and anxiety attacks upon being informed of this.
Many circumstances could lead to a data breach involving your bank statements. So, get in touch with our advisors now to discover the validity of your case.
How Much Compensation Could You Receive For A Bank Data Breach?
If you make a successful bank statements data breach claim, your settlement could include up to two heads of loss. One is called non-material damage, which refers to the mental harm you’ve experienced because of the personal data breach.
The amount you’re awarded would depend on factors like:
- The extent of your mental harm
- How it’s impacted your life
You might question how psychological harm could be given a value. Well, legal professionals can use a document called the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG).
The JCG looks at compensation previously awarded in successful court cases and provides guideline compensation brackets for different types of harm. Medical evidence that can be compared with the JCG could also be obtained to help give a more precise valuation.
Below is a table of guidance figures taken from the JCG. Please remember that these should only be used as a guideline since all cases differ and awards vary.
Compensation Table
Injury | Severity | Compensation - Guideline Brackets | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Psychiatric Damage | Severe | £54,830 to £115,730 | A poor prognosis associated with marked problems coping with many aspects of life, including work and relationships. |
Moderately Severe | £19,070 to £54,830 | The prognosis is much more optimistic than above, despite significant problems coping with many parts of life. | |
Moderate | £5,860 to £19,070 | Similar problems to those stated above but with a notable improvement and good prognosis. | |
Less Severe | £1,540 to £5,860 | Award will depend on the length of time and severity of the harm the person has suffered. | |
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder | Severe | £59,860 to £100,670 | A persons life will be badly affected in all aspects. Their working ability won't approach anything close to pre-trauma levels. |
Moderately Severe | £23,150 to £59,860 | Unlike the above, some recovery will be made with professional help. However, the person will suffer significant disability for the foreseeable future due to the trauma. | |
Moderate | £8,180 to £23,150 | The person will make a large recovery with no grossly disabling continuing effects. | |
Less Severe | £3,950 to £8,180 | Only minor issues will be ongoing past a couple of years. Prior to that, a mostly complete recovery will be made. |
Material Losses In A Data Breach Claim
Material damage is the second head of loss that could comprise your settlement. This addresses the financial losses the personal data breach has caused you, which could include:
- Money stolen from your account
- Loans taken out in your name
- A negatively impacted credit score
- A loss of earnings from taking time off due to breach-induced stress
If your money has been stolen or you’ve lost income, you could provide evidence to prove it. Examples of evidence you could provide, include:
- Payslips
- Bank statements
- Credit card reports
To receive an estimate of what your potential claim could be worth, contact our advisors now.
Actions That Could Help You Make A Data Breach Claim
You must satisfy the eligibility criteria to make a bank statements data breach claim. You first must show that your personal data was involved in a breach caused by a data controller’s or processor’s failings. Then, you must prove this caused you to suffer mental harm, monetary loss or both.
Evidence can help prove both these points and examples of what you could supply include:
- Correspondence with the organisation. This could be a letter of notification sent by the controller informing you of how the breach occurred and what data was affected. It could also include emails or letters you have sent them regarding the breach.
- Evidence of mental harm. This could include copies of your medical records that show the diagnosis of the mental harm you’ve suffered.
- Evidence of your financial losses. As mentioned, this can include payslips, credit reports and bank statements.
Provided you have a valid personal data breach claim, a solicitor from our panel could help gather evidence as part of their service. Contact our advisors to find out if you’re eligible to claim personal data breach compensation today.
Use No Win No Fee Data Protection Breach Solicitors To Claim Compensation
Following a consultation with one of our advisors, provided at no expense to yourself, you can learn the validity of your case. If deemed eligible, you could be offered expert help from one of the data breach solicitors on our panel under a Conditional Fee Agreement.
If you decide to proceed, this kind of No Win No Fee contract would ensure you wouldn’t have to pay for the solicitor’s services upfront or during the case. You also wouldn’t be required to pay for their service if your case was unsuccessful.
Supposing your case won, you’d receive compensation from which your solicitor would subtract a success fee. This is taken as a percentage which is legally capped, meaning most of your award is yours to keep.
If your case is eligible and you want guidance through the legal process, plus the benefits of this type of agreement, contact us now. Our advisors could uncover the validity of your bank statements data breach claim and help you get started.
To get started with us today, get in touch by:
- Phoning us using 020 8050 3051
- Making an online enquiry by completing our Contact Us form
- Speaking with us on our website via live chat
Read More About How To Claim For A Bank Statements Data Breach
For more of our helpful guides, please visit:
- Learn how to claim compensation for distress following a personal data breach.
- Find out what to do if your data is breached and when you could be eligible to claim.
- Information about a human error data breach and when you could claim.
For some other help, please look here:
- Information about anxiety, fear and panic from the NHS.
- A guide about online fraud from Victim Support.
- Information about statutory sick pay from Gov UK.
We hope this guide has answered your questions about making a bank statements data breach claim. However, if you need any further guidance, please contact an advisor on the number above.
Writer Will Gloughlin
Editor Meg Monsoon