TaxBuddi Data Breach – A Guide
In this guide, we will explore the actions you could potentially take if a TaxBuddi data breach were to occur and it involved your personal data. Some of the topics we will discuss include the legislation that protects how this kind of information can be processed and what types of data are considered personal information.
If a data breach were to occur and it affected your personal data, your health and finances could both suffer. Therefore, we’ll explore how compensation could be calculated for a successful personal data breach claim.
Also included in this guide are the benefits of working with a solicitor under the terms of a No Win No Fee agreement. This arrangement could allow you to benefit from a solicitor’s experience without having to pay upfront fees for their services.
For information about the criteria, you must meet in order to claim data breach compensation, read on. Moreover, you can speak to our team of advisors if you have specific questions about the claims process. Our team can provide insight into the merits of your potential claim. What’s more, they may be able to put you in touch with one of the solicitors on our panel. For more information:
- Use our ‘Contact Us’ form
- Call 0161 696 9685
- Speak to a team member using the onscreen chatbox
Select A Section
- TaxBuddi Data Breach – Compensation Claims Guide
- What Personal Data Does The Legislation Protect?
- Evidence Which Could Help You Make A Data Breach Claim
- Examples Of Payouts For Data Breaches
- Why Claim With A No Win No Fee Data Breach Solicitor?
- Resources If A TaxBuddi Data Breach Were To Occur
TaxBuddi Data Breach – Compensation Claims Guide
In the United Kingdom, data protection laws known as the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) make up a large chunk of data protection law that determines the protections for the processing of personal data. If these laws are not upheld, it could increase the risk of a personal data breach occurring.
The UK GDPR defines a personal data breach as a security incident that results in the unlawful or accidental destruction, alteration, loss, or unauthorised access to or disclosure of an individual’s personal data.
We will provide further information about what information could be considered personal data in a later section. However, it is worth mentioning that the UK GDPR also specifies which entities have a legal responsibility to personal data. These entities are called data controllers and processors:
- Data controllers are entities making decisions about why and how personal data is processed. These are generally organisations.
- Data processors are entities acting on a controller’s instructions to process the data.
For a potential data breach claim to be valid, you must demonstrate that one of these entities did not fulfil its legal obligations, leading to a situation in which your personal data was compromised. If a potential TaxBuddi data breach were to occur and it involved or compromised your personal data keep reading to find out what steps you could take.
Limitation Periods
To begin a claim for data breach compensation, you generally have 6 years. Comparatively, this time limit changes to 1 year if you are directing your claim against a public body. Speak to our team if you have further questions about the time limits that may apply to your specific circumstances.
What Personal Data Does The Legislation Protect?
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which is an independent regulator that ensures data protection laws are being upheld, helpfully summarises personal data as information that makes it possible to identify a living person, either when considered in isolation or in combination with other data. Therefore, personal information protected by the UK GDPR and the DPA could include your:
- Name
- National Insurance number
- Salary
- Address
- Date of birth
Contact our advisors if you have evidence showing that your personal data has been compromised by a data controller or processor. Our team can tell you more about the process behind data breach claims.
Evidence Which Could Help You Make A Data Breach Claim
Your potential claim will be stronger if you can provide evidence about the data breach that compromised your personal data. This could include:
- Notifications from the data controller or processor alerting you that a personal data breach has occurred
- Communication from the party responsible for the breach stating that your personal data was affected.
- Financial documents that demonstrate how the breach affected your finances
- Medical records if you suffered mentally.
Please note that just because your personal data is involved in a data breach will not automatically mean you have an eligible claim. If the data controller and processor have completely abided by data protection laws, but a breach still takes place, it is unlikely that you would be able to claim for any suffering caused.
If you aren’t certain about the evidence you could gather to support a potential claim, speak to our advisors. Our advisors may be able to provide information about the steps you could take if a TaxBuddi data breach were to occur. Furthermore, our advisors may be able to put you in contact with one of the data breach solicitors on our panel, who have a great deal of experience.
Examples Of Payouts For Data Breaches
A successful data breach claim could result in a payout that includes two heads of claim. These are intended to compensate you for two different aspects of harm: the psychological harm you sustained due to the data breach, which is known as non-material damage, as well as the financial losses you experienced, called material damage.
Data breach solicitors will usually assess non-material damage by turning to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This publication contains compensation brackets for different forms of harm an individual could experience, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The following table contains some of the JCG’s compensation brackets. However, these are only intended as guidelines, as your individual circumstances will contain details that the JCG cannot account for.
JCG Brackets
| Non-Material Harm | Severity | Guideline Brackets | Further Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| (a) General Psychological/Psychiatric Harm | Severe | £54,830 to £115,730 | Poor overall prognosis in an individual that experiences marked problems coping with education, relationships, and other factors of life. |
| (b) General Psychological/Psychiatric Harm | Moderately Severe | £19,070 to £54,830 | An overall more optimistic prognosis in an individual that experiences significant problems coping with education, relationships, and other factors of life. |
| (c) General Psychological/Psychiatric Harm | Moderate | £5,860 to £19,070 | Good prognosis in an individual that may have experienced problems with the factors of life mentioned above, but who experience a marked improvement. |
| (d) General Psychological/Psychiatric Harm | Less Severe | £1,540 to £5,860 | An award that takes into consideration the length of time a disability is experienced. For instance, this may include sleep disturbance. |
| (a) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder | Severe | £59,860 to £100,670 | Cases that cause permanent effects preventing the individual from working at levels they experienced before the trauma occurred. Affects all aspects of life. |
| (b) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder | Moderately Severe | £23,150 to £59,860 | While there is a better overall prognosis for recovery with professional help, the individual is likely to experience significant disablity for the foreseeable future. |
| (c) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder | Moderate | £8,180 to £23,150 | Cases in which the individual recovers to a large degree and in which lingering effects are not grossly disabling. |
| (d) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder | Less Severe | £3,950 to £8,180 | Individual makes a virtual full recovery within the period of one to two years. |
Further Losses That Compensation Could Account For
Additionally, a personal data breach claim could include a payout for material damage. This head of claim is intended to help you recoup the monetary losses you suffer due to a breach that compromised your personal data. For instance, this could include money removed from your bank accounts and damage done to your credit score.
If a TaxBuddi data breach were to occur and it potentially compromised your personal data, contact our advisors.
Why Claim With A No Win No Fee Data Breach Solicitor?
Though you don’t need to work with a data breach solicitor, it’s worth noting that these professionals could bring a great deal of experience to the claims process. Furthermore, the solicitors on our panel may offer their services using a particular kind of No Win No Fee agreement, specifically called a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).
When working with a solicitor under this arrangement, you wouldn’t have to pay for their services if the claim fails. Additionally, you don’t have to pay service fees while the claim is underway.
Instead of charging you ongoing service fees, your solicitor is reimbursed for their services at the end of the claim if it succeeds. In this instance, they would take a success fee from your compensation. However, this is a percentage that is subject to a legislative cap, so you would always receive the majority of your compensation award.
Talk To Our Team
Our advisors are available 24/7, so speak to them if you have questions about the process of making a personal data breach claim. They can help you evaluate the merits of your potential claim. Furthermore, they can offer free advice and may be able to put you in touch with an experienced data breach solicitor. To learn more:
- Use our ‘Contact Us’ form
- Call 0161 696 9685
- Speak to a team member using the onscreen chatbox
Resources If A TaxBuddi Data Breach Were To Occur bb
Guides about personal data breach claims:
How Much Compensation Could I Claim For A Data Breach At Work?
Patient Medical Records Data Breach Compensation Claims Guide
How Do I Report A Data Protection Breach?
Related information that may help:
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – NHS
Data Breaches – Guidance From The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)
Make A Complaint – UK Government
If a TaxBuddi data breach were to occur and it compromised your personal data, you can contact our advisors to see if there are any potential steps you could take afterwards.
