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What is This Claim About?
British Airways is facing a group litigation after a September 2018 data breach that compromised hundreds of thousands of customers’ personal information.
Hackers diverted British Airways passengers to a fake website, through which they were able to collect customer data.
After an investigation, the ICO imposed a record fine of £183 million on the airline.
Who’s Eligible?
You may qualify to join the British Airways claim if a payment was made using your payment information details on the British Airways website and/or mobile app between the following dates:
- 21 April 2018 and 28 July 2018; and/or
- 21 August 2018 and 5 September 2018
Customers who made a reward booking between 21 April 2018 and 28 July 2018 may also qualify.
How Much Compensation Will I Receive?
While the amount has yet to be determined, if the case is successful, it’s possible that qualified Class Members will receive thousands of pounds in compensation, according to law firm PGMBM.
How Do I Join?
Several law firms in Britain are seeking clients to represent in the British Airways data breach group litigation.
Those interested in becoming claimants may contact any of the following firms and register on their websites:
- Data Leak Lawyers
- Fletchers Data Claims
- HNK Solicitors
- Keller | Lenker
- Leigh Day
- PGMBM
- Your Lawyers Ltd.
More law firms may be added before the claim deadline.
Law firms throughout the U.K. are accepting claimants who say they were harmed in the massive 2018 British Airways data breach.
Last autumn, the High Court granted British Airways customers the green light to bring compensation claims related to the breach against the airline, according to the Daily Mail.
The airline first reported the cyberattack in September 2018.
An investigation by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) found 500,000 customers had been affected by the breach, the Daily Mail reported. The ICO reported that customers’ personal details, such as payment data and addresses, were compromised in the attack.
British Airways began contacting affected customers in 2019, but later, in October, a group litigation order was granted, clearing the way for a much larger legal action against the airline, according to the Daily Mail.
Before the group litigation order, more than 5,000 customers affected by the British Airways data breach already were being represented by SPG Law, with another 230 being represented by Your Lawyers Limited.
However, the Daily Mail reported, the potential number of claimants is might higher. The judge gave people who believe they were affected a 15-month period to join the group litigation.
The ICO handed down its largest penalty ever in the British Airways data breach, fining the airline £183 million, according to a BBC report.
The airline, which is owned by IAG, reportedly said it was “surprised and disappointed” by the penalty.
According to a BBC analysis, the British Airways data breach penalty was about 367 times as high as the previous record holder — Facebook’s £500,000 fine following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
The fine represents 1.5% of the airline’s annual turnover, according to the Daily Mail.
When the breach was made public, British Airways said hackers conducted a “sophisticated, malicious criminal attack” on its website, the BBC reported.
Part of the hackers’ scam involved diverting British Airways passengers to a fake website, through which their details were collected, according to the Daily Mail.
As investigators were looking into the September breach, they discovered an earlier breach had taken place, as well.
According to a BBC report, IAG said two customer groups were affected by the earlier cyberattack that took place between April and July 2018:
- 77,000 people had their name, address, email address and payment information compromised
- 108,000 people lost personal details apart from their cards’ CVV number
Those who were affected were customers booking with BA loyalty programme rewards.
“People’s personal data is just that — personal,” Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said, according to the BBC. “When an organisation fails to protect it from loss, damage or theft, it is more than an inconvenience.
“That’s why the law is clear — when you are entrusted with personal data, you must look after it. Those that don’t will face scrutiny from my office to check they have taken appropriate steps to protect fundamental privacy rights.”
According to Fletchers Data Claims, those whose information was compromised in the British Airways data breach may be entitled to compensation for distress, even if the breach did not result in “specific loss or damage.”
Potential claimants have until 17 January 2021 to file a claim, the Shields Gazette reported.
