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Aviva has had to write to tens of thousands of customers to apologise due to concerns that two of their employees sold the details of people who had recently been in car accidents to various claims companies. Since the concerns began, hundreds of Aviva customers have received calls from firms, urging them to make personal injury claims. After Aviva apologised, the two employees were dismissed and the police were notified, who have since arrested two people on suspicion of fraud.
This event has led to situations where Aviva customers, some of who have been with the insurer for years, have received calls in the past after being in accidents, even if nobody was injured during the accident and the claim itself was settled with relative ease. The calls came from claims companies, ringing the mobile numbers of the customers and stating that thousands of pounds had been set aside for them due to the accident; it’s not surprising that some believed these calls as the claims companies stated they were working on behalf of Aviva, making the entire scenario seem like normal industry practise. Many of these Aviva customers did not find the truth out till much later, years on for some, once Aviva had sent out the letter to the customers detailing that the police had been notified due to a belief that details of their accidents have been stolen and sold by two employees, and that no medical or financial details had been stolen.
Aviva have put the blame for the issue directly on the claims industry, stating that many personal injury lawyers and claims management companies are keen to acquire these details. They have also said that they’ve been asking for stricter regulations to be placed upon these firms. That being said, Aviva should know they’re holding onto important information such as this, and make sure that correct security measures are taken so that people cannot have their information so easily obtained and sold by employees.
However, customers are now saying that, although Aviva claims that this is a problem that was only noted as of last summer, that some of them have been receiving calls as far back as three years ago. Aviva has denied the possibility that information has been stolen from them as far back as that, even denying that there’s any chance a rogue employee has managed to do this for far longer than they realise. Until the police investigation concludes, it’s impossible to guess how at fault Aviva is for this mistake, but it seems unlikely that complete denial is definitely the best course of action. It seems likely that Aviva customers would respect the truth and want to know that when the insurer covering them makes a mistake, they’re willing to take responsibility and rectify any problems as soon as possible.
Original source: BBC News.
