Associated Newspapers, publishes of the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, Evening Standard and Metro titles has written to contributors warning them that their personal information held by the group, including bank details, may be now in the hands of criminals.
In a letter to suppliers, Finance Director Simon Dyson has apologised for the loss, which happened when a company laptop was stolen.
While Dyson says the laptop was password protected, he has advised certain contributors to contact their bank to seek their advice on any “potential security issues”, and to consult the Government identity theft advice website. Affected contributors can also contact him directly at info@assocnews.co.uk.
The Daily Mail has previously described similar losses of data from government departments as “shambolic” and “unacceptable”.