Data provided to the National Lottery Community Fund over a period of six years by UK Portfolio, England funding and Building Better Opportunities customers could be at risk after a data breach.
The National Lottery Community Fund has reported the breach to the Information Commissioner. It relates to data provided to it between September 2013 and December 2019 for these programmes, both by those applying for funds, and existing grant holders supplying information to it at that time. Its Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales funding programmes are not affected.
The data includes contact details (name, address, email and land and mobile numbers), date of birth, bank details (name of bank account, sort code and account number) and the applicant organisation’s address and website.
The Fund is warning that any UK Portfolio, England funding or Building Better Opportunities customers who supplied it with this type of information during this date range should be aware that their data could be at risk.
It is advising charities to consider updating the passwords on their accounts, keep an eye out for phishing emails or signs of fraudulent activity on bank accounts, and consider running a credit check to highlight any fraudulent applications made in their name.
The National Lottery Community Fund has not released any details of how the breach happened, but says the investigation is ongoing. Anyone concerned can call its England Advice Team helpline on 0345 4 10 20 30, and it has also set up a dedicated email address: data.breach@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk.
