Personal data of thousands of patients with Boots the Chemist’s dental insurance plan has been stolen.
The information from Boots Dental Plan included customer bank account details, but officials claimed it was ‘highly unlikely’ these could be accessed.
The details of 27,000 customers and 7,000 employees were stolen on 3 April.
The dental plans are administered on behalf of Boots by Medisure whose MD, Jamie Wilson, has sent out letters to all affected.
The Financial Services Authority said it had been given details of the theft and would be looking at the case.
The data tapes were stolen from the vehicle of a data security company while on a scheduled delivery to a Medisure office in Bristol.
The data is described as ‘technically complicated’ and Medisure added that the data can only be cracked by highly trained specialists.
A statement from Nottingham-based Boots said the firm informed the customers straight away.
Medisure said banks had been informed as a precaution so they could monitor affected accounts for any unusual activity.
The company added that it’s reviewed the incident closely with the police who regard it as an opportunist theft rather than a planned operation.
