HSBC insider steals info on 24,000 Swiss bank accounts. Ouch!
HSBC insider steals info on 24,000 Swiss bank accounts. Ouch!
Thanks to an insider, SC Magazine says that one of the most private of private things - your Swiss bank account - ain't so private anymore...
HSBC has been hit by an insider threat with reports that information on 24,000 HSBC customers with Swiss accounts have been stolen.
HSBC has said that a former IT employee of HSBC's Swiss subsidiary Private Bank (Suisse) SA, obtained the information between late 2006 and early 2007.
The accounts, held by individuals worldwide, were all opened before October 2006 and some 9,000 have since been closed, according to the Associated Press. The bank said it has contacted the affected customers and does not believe the data has or will allow any unauthorised person to access the affected accounts.
Alexandre Zeller, chief executive of the Swiss subsidiary, said: “We deeply regret this situation and unreservedly apologise to our clients for this threat to their privacy. We are determined to protect our clients' interests and are taking every necessary measure to do so, actively contacting all our clients with Swiss-based accounts."
The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) has said that it has opened an investigation into whether HSBC failed to meet legal requirements to prevent data theft.
Full article: http://www.scmagazineuk.com/employee-of-hsbc-steals-information-of-24000...