Wonga data breach sees 275,000 customer details potentially stolen

10 Apr 2017

Image: ShaunWilkinson/Shutterstock

It’s bad day for payday loan player Wonga as personal details of hundreds of thousands of its customers have possibly been stolen.

Wonga said it is urgently investigating “illegal and unauthorised” access to the data of around 275,000 customers.

The company, which charges interest rates of 1,286pc a year, issued a warning today to customers that the information may have included email addresses, home addresses, phone numbers, the last four digits of card numbers, and bank account and sort codes.

Wonga said that full card details were not taken.

“We do not believe your Wonga account password was compromised and believe your account should be secure, however, if you are concerned, you should change your account password. We also recommend that you look out for any unusual activity across any bank accounts and online portals,” Wonga warned its customers.

Customers urged to be vigilant

As well as 250,000 UK customers, a further 25,000 in Poland were also potentially affected.

Wonga told users to alert their bank and exercise vigilance, and to be especially aware of scammers or any unusual online activity.

“Be cautious of anyone who calls you and asks you to disclose any personal information, regardless of where they say they are from. If this happens, we recommend that you hang up,” Wonga said.

It is understood that the company became aware of a problem last week, but did not realise until Friday that data could be accessed externally.

The breach is a fresh PR blow to Wonga, which has been beset by a litany of scandals in recent years, and has just taken on a new management team to replace the founders.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com