Birmingham banker fined for reading colleagues' bank accounts

26 Aug 2014 01:03 PM

A Birmingham banker has been fined after he admitted reading his colleagues bank accounts. 

Dalvinder Singh, 29, from Yardley, Birmingham, worked in Santander UK’s suspicious activity reporting unit at their Leicester office.

His role investigating allegations of money laundering meant he was able to view customer accounts. But he used his access to look at eleven colleagues’ accounts, to learn how much their salaries and bonuses were.

Singh appeared at Birmingham Magistrates Court today, where he was fined £880, plus £440 costs and an £88 victim surcharge.

Damian Moran, ICO Criminal Investigation Manager, said:

“This is a man who claimed his curiosity got the best of him. But when that curiosity led to him breaking the law, it cost him his job, and has now earned him a criminal conviction.

“Singh had been given clear training by Santander UK around the Data Protection Act, but chose to ignore that training. By accessing personal information he broke the law, and that is why he has been fined today.”

Unlawfully obtaining or accessing personal data is a criminal offence under section 55 of the Data Protection Act 1998. The offence is punishable by way of ‘fine only’ - up to £5,000 in a Magistrates Court or an unlimited fine in a Crown Court.

 

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