London (Alliance News) - Barclays has launched an investigation in response to a media report saying thousands of confidential files belonging to the bank's customers had been stolen and sold, a spokeswoman said Sunday.
A report in the British tabloid Mail on Sunday said up to 27,000 files containing sensitive information, including health and financial information as well as passport and national insurance numbers, had been sold to City traders.
"We are very grateful to the Mail on Sunday for making us aware of this," a Barclays spokeswoman said, adding that investigations were under way.
"It looks as though this was a criminal act," she said. "We are cooperating with the authorities in order to find the person responsible."
The Mail on Sunday learned of the security breach when an anonymous whistleblower approached the tabloid with a USB stick containing the details of 2,000 customers.
The report said each customer file was sold for around 50 pounds and included information about the individuals' attitude to risk.
Copyright dpa