British Ministry of Defense confirmed on Friday that a laptop containing details of about 600,000 people was stolen from a Royal Navy officer in Birmingham on Jan. 9.
"The stolen laptop contained personal information relating to some 600,000 people who have either expressed an interest in, or have joined, the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and the Royal Air Force." the ministry said in a statement.
"The information held is not the same for every individual. In some cases, for casual inquiries, the record is no more than a name. But, for those who progressed as far as submitting an application to join the forces, extensive personal data may be held, including passport details, National Insurance numbers, drivers' license details, family details, doctors' addresses and National Health Service numbers." the ministry said.
The ministry said after consultation with West Midlands Police about the impact on the investigation were the theft to become public knowledge, it did not immediately make public the loss of this data.
"In view of today's media reports, we have, however, decided that it would now be right to do so." said the ministry, adding that it treated the loss of this data with the utmost seriousness.
It was writing to some 3,500 people whose bank details were included on the database, the ministry said.
"Action has already been taken with the assistance of APACS (Association for Payment Clearing Services) to inform the relevant banks so that the relevant accounts can be flagged for scrutiny against unauthorized access." the ministry said.
Source: Xinhua
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