Ex-shop boss passed on people’s details illegally

11:15am Friday 6th October 2006

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A FORMER mobile phone shop owner has been fined for illegally obtaining and disclosing personal data which was used to fraudulently set up contracts.

Mehrban Akhtar admitted breaching the Data Protection Act by receiving a box of photocopied bank accounts, passports and driving licences and passing them to a third party.

Julie Rosamond, prosecuting at Worcester Magistrates Court on Wednesday, said in March and April 2005, five people reported direct debits being set up with mobile phone company Orange without their knowledge. Investigations revealed they had been set up from an address in Bromsgrove.

Miss Rosamond said the occupant of that address, Spencer Taylor, of Vale Communications, claimed they were set up for Akhtar on behalf of the Phone Exchange in Worcester.

"It was apparent that the five members of the public who made the initial reports all had one thing in common - they all set up mobile phone contracts with the T-Mobile shop in Worcester in the summer of 2004," she said.

Miss Rosamond said the manager of T-Mobile had confirmed that 165 contracts were missing.

She said an investigation led police to a temporary employee at T-Mobile called Fernando, who was known to have connections with Akhtar.

Miss Rosamond said when officers interviewed Akhtar, he admitted Fernando had given him the box of information, which he intended to use for marketing purposes, but he said he later passed it to Spencer Taylor.

Andrew Childs, defending, said Akhtar, of Barnes Way, Cherry Orchard, Worcester, intended to use the information to contact customers when their contracts were running out to make them another offer.

"He did not realise at that stage an offence was being committed," he said.

Mr Childs said after three or four days Akhtar realised he did not have the time to do this and passed the box to Mr Taylor. "He did not know someone in the next link in the chain would forge people's details by making those applications," he added.

"Mr Akhtar is surprised that Mr Taylor is not in the dock with him. He simply opened a box, looked into it and three or four days later passed it to someone else, who he believes used that information fraudulently."

Akhtar was fined £500 and ordered to pay £55 court costs.

l Were you a victim of these fraudulent contracts? We'd like to hear your story.

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