A form of identity theft, account takeover fraud (ATO) happens when a criminal gains access to an individual’s account and steals from them.
The worry caused by takeover fraud can be significant. Some victims suffer emotional stress and distress, and existing mental health conditions can be exacerbated. So, even if you get your money back, the impact of takeover fraud can be devastating.
At Keller Lenkner UK, our data breach lawyers help people to make successful takeover fraud claims to compensate for their loss and distress. Where enough people come forward, we do this by launching a group action case.
START A NO-WIN, NO-FEE TAKEOVER FRAUD CLAIM WITH OUR EXPERIENCED CYBERCRIME LAWYERS.
As more and more people shop and bank online, takeover fraud is on the rise.
Typical takeover scams include:
If you have been the victim of takeover fraud, or attempted takeover fraud, you should contact Action Fraud ASAP. If you have lost money as a result of the scam, you must also report it as a crime.
Many takeover scams are highly targeted and come after a person’s data has been stolen in a data breach.
Get your money back following a takeover scam
*Your bank (or another financial provider) can only refuse to reimburse stolen funds where you have shown a very significant degree of carelessness.
Takeover fraud often happens following a data breach. Criminals use the data exposed in breaches (often usernames and passwords) to access a person’s online accounts. This is possible as people often use the same login details for multiple accounts.
Stolen data is easy to buy on the dark web, so if you are the victim of a data privacy violation, it is quite likely that different criminals could be trying to use your data against you.
IF YOU ARE THE VICTIM OF A TAKEOVER SCAM BECAUSE OF POOR DATA PROTECTION PROCESSES, WE CAN HELP YOU TO CLAIM COMPENSATION FROM THE ORGANISATION RESPONSIBLE.
While each case is judged on its own merits, there are some things we would typically look for when it comes to when claiming compensation following a data breach, cybercrime or other GDPR violation:
With stolen data, cybercriminals can make purchases using your bank and credit cards, apply for credit in your name, set up fraudulent bank accounts and access your existing online accounts.
GDPR failures, cybercrime and data breaches can have a significant impact on you, both mentally and physically. They can cause or exacerbate anxiety, stress and other psychological conditions.
In many cases, data hacks and cyber-attacks happen because of a failure to implement reasonable and robust processes. Often because of the cost needed to do this.
But, by not putting adequate processes and training in place, organisations are leaving customers open to an increased risk of cyber scams and avoidable mistakes that lead to data breaches.
See our answers to the FAQs we get asked about takeover fraud.
Cybercriminals are targeting people’s social media accounts in a bid to steal money and personal details. In fact, according to one report, a staggering 53% of all logins on social media websites are fraudulent and 25% of all new accounts are fake . And, while we have all heard about how people are using Facebook and other channels to spread fake news and influence elections, for some people, the consequences are much closer to home.
Like traditional money, criminals are targeting the cryptocurrency market. With the equivalent of millions of pounds being stolen from cryptocurrency holdings each year, this is a very lucrative market.
Phishing fraudsters contact you using emails, texts, and other forms of communication. They disguise themselves as someone you trust. Their goal is to trick you into giving them your personal information (e.g. usernames, passwords, credit card details, etc.) and steal from you.
