I changed my mobile at local branch of Carphone Warehouse (always very happy with service there) a few months ago. Kept the old phone (and SIM) to use as PAYG when I get a tuit.
Last night, I got a call from a lady saying she had bought a new phone for her daughter, and when they fired it up, there were a load of contacts already in the memory. She dialled the one called "home" and came though to - me. She was able to tell me both my daughters' mobile numbers, my work number, the full list.
The lady's phone was a NEW phone, not a standby, and I have both old and new SIMs in the house here. I reckon the list must have been copied and held somehow when they kindly transferred my contact list from old to new with the little machine they have. Called CW and it was basically "we're too busy to worry about stuff like that, we have hundreds of dead simcards around the place, what do you expect us to do?" Information Commissioner's Office agree with me that this seems to be a clear breach of the DPA.
Nasty letter to CW head orifice is on its way, with a follow-up of a formal complaint to ICO if they don't respond appropriately. Anything else I should be doing?
TBH, the data isn't exactly top secret or mission-critical, but I'm a bit alarmed that all my personal numbers (especially my kids') are out in the fresh air. The lady who got the phone was clearly responsible and nice, but what if a chav with a sense of humour had got hold of the phone? The chaos and damage that a mischievous person - or a criminal - could have caused makes me go cold.
Not a happy bunny, and unlikely to darken the doors of CW again.