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T-Mobile admits selling customers' mobile records

By Barry Collins

Posted on 17 Nov 2009 at 17:35

T-Mobile has admitted that its staff sold thousands of customers' personal details to a third party.

Earlier today, the Information Commissioner's Office revealed that a UK mobile network had sold thousands of customers details without permission - but refused to name the network involved, claiming it could prejudice a future prosecution.

However, after four of Britain's "big five" mobile networks denied their involvement, T-Mobile had little choice but to come clean.

Staff at the company allegedly sold thousands of customers records for what the Information Commissioner describes as a "substantial sum of money". The data was passed to rival networks and used to cold-call customers whose contracts were due to expire soon.

"T-Mobile takes the protection of customer information seriously," T-Mobile claims in a statement. "When it became apparent that contract renewal information was being passed on 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

"Working together, we identified the source of the breach which led to the ICO conducting an extensive investigation which we believe we will lead to a prosecution.

"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."

Indeed, T-Mobile has expressed its anger at the way the ICO handled the story. "We had been asked before today to keep all information on this case strictly confidential so as to avoid prejudice to the investigation and prosecution. We were therefore surprised at the way in which these statements were made to the BBC today."

The ICO refused to comment on T-Mobile's criticism at the time of publication.

The revelation came to light as part of the ICO's response to the Ministry of Justice's consultation on custodial sentences for officials involved in data breaches.

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User comments

We all know who it is.

This has been covered extensively in the blogosphere, people on this network get cold calls from companies shortly after signing up - it is not red, it's not yellow, but somewhere in between.

By gavmeister on 17 Nov 2009

Why so long?

I agree with gavmeister - they have been doing it for over ten years...

By TheChin on 17 Nov 2009

Three

I'd put money on it being three. Trying to quit a contract with them is like trying to run away from oxygen!

By anthonysjones on 17 Nov 2009

Why so long?

I agree with gavmeister - they have been doing it for over ten years...

By TheChin on 17 Nov 2009

Irony fail

By pedro_john on 17 Nov 2009

OK it's T-Mobile BUT

I stand by my original point - the other network has been at it for years, and I there were acknowledgements flying around the PM show on R4 that it is an industry-wide problem. I've never come across it anecdotally on Vod/O2 though.

By gavmeister on 17 Nov 2009

it isnt good enough

the law on data is old and is clear. where it is abused the board of the company need to be "paying for it" with jail time. and where data is lost off shore where the cost of "knobbling" staff would be much lower then prison time should be increased by a factor of average wage to show its no "saving"

By equityguru on 18 Nov 2009

Will T Mobile survive?

Might T Mobile lose a lot more than has been suggested if customers now consider contracts invalidated by the company and leave in numbers?

By ZipDee on 19 Nov 2009

Not just T-Mobile

My wife and I each have contracts with Vodafone, and my company with O2. all the contracts come up for renewal in the next 90 days and guess what - the SAME company called us all, admitting full knowledge that our contracts would soon be up for renewal, and offering better deals. We, and our company don't appreciate our private details being handed out (phone number, address ... and more), and so I reported them to the ICO 4 weks ago.

By camallison on 19 Nov 2009

At least I left T mobile

I was fed up with T mobile so a call from someone about renewal that offered an alternative worked for me! Although it also proves we should not trust any organisation with our data, I wonder about the ethics of the companies that bought the data, we need to here about those if responsibility is to be share fairly. Without the buyers there would be less incentive for the crime.

By RichrdM on 19 Nov 2009

T-Mob compensation?

They broke the contract so we can all leave. But why fine or imprison them - the law was to protect individuals, not the State. We should get the fine they will have to pay. And indeed, the data buyer/s should be done too.

By viclanser on 19 Nov 2009

T-Mob compensation?

By viclanser on 19 Nov 2009

Subject to an unlimited fine...

Well that's okay as we all know in mobile phone speak unlimited should equate to around £4,000 or subject to a fair use policy.

By TimCoyle on 19 Nov 2009

did they break the contract?

So, if they did break the contract I can then use this as reason to cancel penalty free - can anyone provide me with proof that this is so?

(been looking at ways to leave T-Mobile as the reception at my new place of residence is useless, but sadly I cannot use this as a reason as I moved half way through the contract)

By garykearley on 19 Nov 2009

Who's the bad guy

What comes to my mind is who is the bad guy here, the guys who steal the data, or the rival networks who pay for the data.
If there wasn't a market for the data then it wouldn't be worth stealing in the first place

By dangerousdave on 19 Nov 2009

No real news here

Are we really surprised, for about 6 months I kept getting calls and messages about my Orange contract expiring from numerous other service providers. They must have got the information from somewhere. The only thing was the info was wrong as I was on O2, had been for a year and on a three year corporate contract

By MIssingLink on 19 Nov 2009