Lloyds Banking Group revealed that a significant number of joint account holders may have had their transaction details exposed despite not logging into the app during the incident on March 12, 2023. The IT glitch, which appears to stem from a software defect following an overnight update, has raised serious concerns regarding data security and customer trust.
Key statistics:
- Over 520,000 customers may have been affected by the data breach.
- A total of 80,508 joint account holders potentially had their transaction details viewed by others.
- During the incident, 446,915 customers logged into the app.
- Out of these, 107,937 customers clicked on transactions belonging to others.
The exposure allowed users to see other people’s transactions—including charges and payments intended for strangers—prompting immediate responses from the bank. Lloyds has since issued alerts to those affected and initiated goodwill payments amounting to £201,000 to 5,250 customers since March 24. An additional £62,000 in goodwill payments has been made to 1,625 customers as a gesture of support.
Lloyds Banking Group stated: “We also issued an alert on the app home screen to these 80,508 joint account holders, with a small number of exceptions based on particular customer circumstances.” Customers have shared their experiences; one Bank of Scotland customer recounted logging in to see an unrecognized payment that vanished upon refreshing. Another questioned why transactions appeared from London when they lived in Scotland.
The bank has noted that there has not been an increase in daily levels of fraud since the incident. However, officials have not confirmed whether any further investigations into potential vulnerabilities will take place or if additional measures will be implemented to prevent similar occurrences in the future. Accordingly, Lloyds clarified that they have not made compensation payments on this basis.