DWP apologises for pension error
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has apologised for mailing confidential banking details of thousands of pensioners to the wrong addresses.
Many pensioners were concerned the government mix-up would leave them vulnerable to identity theft and bank fraud as the letters contained information such as national insurance numbers and bank account details.
A spokeswoman for the DWP said: “We were sending out letters to customers letting them know what their weekly pension payments next year would be.”
She added: “Some of those customers received letters intended for someone else in that mailing. As soon as we found out about it we acted immediately and launched an investigation.”
The DWP came under fire earlier this week when released figures showed that the department overspent by an estimated £2.6 billion between April 2005 and March 2006 due to fraud and error.
“We would like to apologise to customers affected. The department takes issues of customer security very seriously,” she said.
Attempting to reassure the angered pensioners, she added: “We would like to reassure customers that we will be able to trace all the letters involved and pinpoint where each one went.”
Opposition political parties jumped at the opportunity to criticise the government. Patrick McLoughlin of the Conservatives said that the DWP had to “get it right” in the future while Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokesperson David Laws said that “ministers should look into this mess to ensure that a mistake such as this is never made again”, according to the BBC.
Any customers who receive incorrect details have been advised to call the pension service on 0845 6060 265.
Any customers who receive incorrect details have been advised to call the pension service on 0845 6060 265.
