We're always being told to look after our personal data to stop it falling into the hands of identity thieves. The Home Office even has a special site offering consumers information on how best to protect themselves against ID theft (tip number one: "Your identity and personal information are valuable assets. Keep them secure").
But for a while it has been apparent that all our good work can go to waste if someone else doesn't treat our information with quite as much care. Banks have been found dumping account details in the street, laptops containing confidential information have been lost, and now the personal data of 25 million people has been lost in the post.
The latest breach has left more than 7 million families in danger of being defrauded, with the chance their names, address and bank details could fall into criminal hands. According to the high street banks no one is closing their account. Is this because you have been reassured by what the government and banking industry have said, or are just waiting to see what happens next? Have you checked your bank statements since the news broke?
