My thanks to a loyal reader who has advised me that this weekend many hundreds of child benefit customers have received letters from HMRC re child benefit.
Apparently these letters give client details. However, on page 2 of each letter the details provided are those of someone other than the intended addressee.
The information disclosed includes such matters as bank details and amounts being paid.
This is of course a breach of the Data Protection Act.
I am further advised that HMRC call centre advisers have been told that if "customers" ring in to complain about these letters, then the "customer" should be lied to and told that their letter was an accident and that no other have complained about such a mistake.
Seemingly, as at the end of last Saturday, HMRC have recorded quite a number of calls complaining about this data breach.
One final point, the Civil Service Code dictates that employees must be honest at all times. Unsurprisingly many advisers are not happy about being told to lie.
Updates on this story would be most welcome.
Tax does have to be taxing.
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Must be using the same mail merge system that the Skipton building society uses!!!!!
ReplyDeleteotproThis is abysmal behaviour, particularly if have the staff been instructed to tell callers "untruths" about the problem. If this allegation is true should'nt the man at the top be replaced.
ReplyDeleteHe could always go into politics.
Yes its true, I know cos I was there
ReplyDeleteWhy is this not in the national press? This is the single most appalling accusation I have ever heard about HMRC, and that's saying something. Surely this needs to be 'whistleblown' if that's the right term. If true the whistle blower deserves a medal for bringing this to the attention of the nation. How does HMRC keep getting away with things?
ReplyDeleteI am further advised that HMRC call center advisers have been told that if "customers" ring in to complain about these letters, then the "customer" should be lied to and told that their letter was an accident and that no other have complained about such a mistake.
ReplyDeleteI doubt if this will result in any action being taken against the management, as I would put money on the staff involved are already under threats of losing their job if the say anything publicly. Until this problem is dealt with there will be no improvement in the operations of HMRC as the management at all levels currently feel untouchable. The reason I emboldened “currently feel untouchable” as this could change in the future.
We were also told to tell the public that there is nothing wrong with the new PAYE system when it is clearly a knacker. How many wrong codes have been issued for the coming year, MILLIONS. Even the ones at the top are lying. Its constant.
ReplyDeleteMy top level managers routinely lie all the time.We can no longer believe anything we are told.There is a culture of distrust, fear and loathing unknown in 25 years of service. I now despise my employer. How very, very sad that it has come to this.
ReplyDeleteI think the post above kind of summarises the whole thing in a short paragraph.
ReplyDeleteOur office has went from a place of teamwork, openness, inclusiveness, communication hustle and bustle, to a place of silence, clock watching, paranoia.
You would think a cat or a dog had wandered in from the street and died under someones desk the atmosphere stinks that much.
Our old C&E managers, are like scared mice now that the real Revenue managers are in the building.
What did they expect would happen when they centralised the post rooms? The staff packing & unpacking the mail have no idea what it is.
ReplyDeleteAs more & more of the different areas of work are centralised and the work taken over by the totally inexperienced, with no idea of how any other departments work, or what they do, the worse the service will get.