Dixons Carphone admits hackers hit 6m customers

DIXONS Carphone has become the latest British firm to fall victim to a cyber attack after 5.9 million customer bank card details and 1.2 million personal data records were hacked.

The retailer behind Currys said while 5.8 million payment cards targeted were protected by chip and pin, around 105,000 non-eu cards without chip and pin protection were compromised.

Dixons Carphone said card firms had been notified and there was no evidence of card fraud.

It added its investigation had also found that hackers accessed personal data, such as name or email details, for 1.2m records.

The group is contacting all those affected, but sought to assure customers it had no evidence of fraud.

It said it had called in cyber experts and added extra security to its systems following the breach, while also calling in the police.

Dixons Carphone chief executive Alex Baldock said the group had “fallen short” of its responsibility to protect customer data.

The National Crime Agency said it is working with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to “understand what’s happened”.

A spokesman for the ICO said: “An incident involving Dixons Carphone has been reported to us and we are liaising with the National Cyber Security Centre, the Financial Conduct Authority and other agencies to ascertain the details and impact on customers.”

Dixons Carphone was fined £400,000 by the ICO in January after a 2015 cyber attack exposed the personal data of more than three million customers.

Dixons Carphone shares fell up to 4% after the London market opened.