Beneficiary Data Exposed in the Capita Cybersecurity Breach

LATEST UPDATE: We are no longer accepting new clients at this time. Please use this page for information only.

Earlier this year, Capita – a firm that administers pensions on behalf of several UK companies – experienced a significant data protection breach. The Capita data breach could affect millions of UK pension holders. And, to make matters worse, the beneficiaries of these pension holders have also had their data exposed to cybercriminals.  

Who is affected by the Capita pensions data breach?

With a workplace pension, you (and your employer) put money aside to provide an income for when you retire. In the event of your death, your pension benefits may pass to your next of kin (usually your spouse, civil partner, or children). These people are also known as your beneficiaries. 

Following the Capita data breach, our cyber experts launched an investigation to find out what happened and who is affected by this data security incident. We have discovered that – as well as exposing the personal information of pension holders – the Capita data breach also affects their beneficiaries.  

This means that the next of kin of any affected pension holder may have had the following information breached:  

• Name
• Sex
• Address
• Date of Birth
• NI number
• Bank account info

The damage that can be done with the compromised information should not be underestimated. At KP Law, we have seen victims of similar data breaches become the target of cybercriminals, with instances of phishing, fraud, and identity theft.  

As such, victims of the Capita hack – including pension holders and their beneficiaries – must be vigilant.