Insurance worker jailed for selling customer data

Karl Yates was working for Royal Sun Alliance when he stole the data, which he was not authorised to access

A former insurance company employee who stole customer details and sold them on has been jailed.

Karl Yates, 40, of no fixed abode, accessed customer data associated with non-fault road traffic claims while working for Royal Sun Alliance (RSA), said City of London Police.

He then passed the details on to claims management companies, which used the information to cold call the drivers involved and pressurise them into making claims.

Det Sgt Matt Hussey said Yates' calls could have been "distressing" for customers, but that his plan had "backfired", which led to his arrest.

Yates was found guilty of fraud by abuse of position and computer misuse and handed a 28-month prison sentence at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday.

RSA discovered the theft after identifying customer complaints made to the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) at the City of London Police in September 2020.

Further research revealed that Yates had accessed customer records when he was not authorised to do so.

'Position of trust'

Police arrested Yates at his home, where they found £2,200 in cash and a mobile phone with 100 images of pages of customer details.

Det Sgt Hussey, from IFED, said: "As well as being distressing for customers, the cold calls could have caused members of the public to unintentionally submit fraudulent claims."

He added that Yates had taken advantage of a "position of trust by stealing confidential data".

Det Sgt Hussey said that "his plan backfired and we found clear evidence of his scheme when we arrested him".