If your personal data was affected by a data breach, you may be wondering how to protect yourself from further harm. A personal data breach can affect a number of areas of your life, including your mental health, your finances, and your online presence.
In this guide, we will explore the steps that you can take following a data protection breach to protect your mental health and finances. We will also explore when you can claim compensation for a data breach, what evidence could help strengthen your claim, and how a No Win No Fee solicitor could help.
Read on to learn more, or contact our team to get started by:
- Call us on 0333 241 2521
- Contact us online
- Use the live chat feature
What To Do Following A Data Breach
A personal data breach can have a significant impact on both your mental health and your financial well-being. Below, we’ve listed some tips on protecting each of these areas from further harm.
Protecting Your Mental Health
One way to protect your mental health following a breach is by contacting a medical professional, such as your GP. They could refer you to a mental health service, such as a counsellor or therapist.
Protecting Your Finances
If you are notified that your financial information has been compromised in a breach, there are some steps you can take to avoid harm. For example, you could contact your bank and make them aware of the situation, cancel or freeze affected credit or debit cards, and check your credit report for any suspicious activity.
Can I Claim Data Breach Compensation For The Damage Caused?
The personal data of UK residents is protected by the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA). The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) enforces these pieces of legislation and is the dedicated data protection watchdog in the UK.
A personal data breach occurs when the integrity, availability or confidentiality of any personal information that could identify you is compromised in a security incident. In order to claim compensation for a personal data breach, you need to be able to prove that:
- The organisation responsible for your data failed to comply with the legislation above
- This caused a data breach that affected your personal data
- You suffered emotional or financial harm as a result of this
What Evidence Do I Need To Support A Claim?
Collecting evidence is an essential part of making a personal data breach claim. Evidence can help you prove who is responsible for the harm you suffered and can also illustrate the severity of the financial or mental harm you experienced.
Some examples of evidence that you could use to support your claim include:
- A letter of notification from the organisation responsible for the breach
- Correspondence with the ICO
- Copies of your financial records, such as bank statements or credit reports
- Your medical records or the results of an independent medical assessment
One of the benefits of working with a data breach solicitor on your claim is that they can help you collect this evidence. To learn more about what happens when there is a data breach and how to protect yourself from further harm following a data breach, please continue to read our guide.
Make A No Win No Fee Data Breach Claim
Our solicitors are here to help if you’ve suffered harm due to a personal data breach. They work on a No Win No Fee basis, which means that you don’t pay any immediate fees for their work thanks to a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). Similarly, under this kind of agreement, you won’t pay any fees to retain their services, and you won’t pay a fee for their work if your claim fails.
Your solicitor will take a success fee if your claim succeeds, which is taken straight out of your compensation. The success fee is taken as a small percentage of your compensation, but this has a legal cap which helps to make sure that you keep the majority of what you receive.
To find out if you could be eligible to work with one of our expert solicitors, contact our team today by:
- Call us on 0333 241 2521
- Contact us online
- Use the live chat feature
For more helpful guides:
- Find out if an individual person can be held responsible for a breach of the UK GDPR with our informative guide
- Learn about claiming compensation if a letter was sent to the wrong postal address with our helpful article
Or, for further information:
Thank you for reading our guide on how to prevent further harm following a data breach.
