Press Release
17/10/2024
For Immediate Release
A grandmother-of-two has described feeling ‘violated, stressed and angry’ after her personal medical records were leaked in the South Staffs Water (SSW) cyber-attack.
When 66-year-old Lorraine Bowater was asked by SSW if she had any medical conditions, it was supposed to ensure she was treated as a priority if there was ever a water outage.
Due to a medical condition that requires daily bathing, the Wednesbury resident opened up about the highly personal situation and allowed the water company to record this on its system, which was hacked in August 2022.
She has now enlisted the help of data breach specialists and Manchester firm Barings Law in pursuit of justice.
Speaking about the ordeal, Lorraine explained: “Due to this condition I have to shower and do laundry more often than anybody else.
“So should there be a fault in the main water supply, SSW said they would have to deliver me bottled water.
"They had all the details about my condition, which was hard enough for me to share. I only did it because I believed they needed to know, in case the water supply ever failed, and I required assistance.
“Now this information is somewhere out there for God knows who to access, because SSW failed in its security and confidentiality of keeping it safe.”
On top of this personal medical condition, Lorraine also suffers with severe anxiety and has previously been hospitalised due an anxiety attack that was so bad paramedics suspected she was having a heart attack.
She said the data breach has exponentially increased her feelings of anxiety, and she constantly worries about who knows her private information.
Lorraine continued: “I feel violated, so angry, it's so stressful.
“Whenever I leave the house it's constantly there in my head. I'll get palpitations, all the signs of anxiety, because I'm thinking all the time, this information shouldn't be out there in the public domain, and it is.
“It could have been and should have been prevented.”
On top of these anxieties, Lorraine said her frustrations are intensified because, as the main water supplier, local residents have to use SSW.
“Had it have been my energy utility provider for example, I could have swapped but I’m stuck with this one,” she added. “There's nothing you can do. You are in their hands.
“Basically, your information is no longer safe, and there's nothing you can do. They’ve got that control, but they have taken that trust away.”
Lorraine said she would like to see SSW take accountability for all the victims who continue to be affected by the cyber-attack.
Barings Law, a firm with extensive experience in high-profile data breach cases and who have recently settled a high-profile data protection claim, has taken on her case as part of a class action lawsuit against South Staffs Water (SSW).
The firm’s Head of Data Breach, Adnan Malik, agreed that it’s time for SSW to take responsibility and compensate customers whose personal information was leaked over two years ago.
He said: "SSW has admitted liability for the data breach but has since ceased communication with us, forcing us to proceed with legal action.
"It's deeply disappointing that, despite accepting responsibility, the company continues to withhold compensation from the thousands of individuals impacted by this breach.
“At Barings Law, we are fully committed to ensuring our clients receive the justice they deserve, no matter how long it takes."
-ENDS-
About Barings Law
· Established in 2009, Barings Law is based in Cardinal House, Manchester.
· The firm represents victims of consumer and business mis-selling on a no win no fee basis.
· Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
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