A Canadian man has revealed that the company he chose to provide his home security had inadvertently disclosed personal information even after he had warned other customers of the problem.
When Edmonton-based Andrew Kopp installed the Brinks Home Security System in his home, he thought he was doing the right thing to protect his home and family, but he was actually unknowingly doing it himself. We have discovered that we may have given your personal information to a third party. Online scammers and potential thieves.
While trying to troubleshoot some door sensor issues, Kopp was shocked to see information for over 100 other customers when he logged into his online Brinks Home Security account. received.
Information that Kopp can see about other customers includes:
- name
- address
- emergency contact
- mobile number
- payment history
- Learn more about security systems that protect your home
Kopp encountered the flaw in early 2022, reported it to Brinks, and assumed it would be fixed soon. however, CBC reportthe problem still existed in April 2022.
Kopp reported the problem to Brinks again and waited several months before calling Brinks again in early July 2022.
Realizing that the problem had not yet been fixed and that his warning had not been taken seriously, Copp recorded a call to Brinks’ customer service department.
“This is a big issue with customer information, so I need to speak to my manager.”
Despite being promised to receive a call from Brink’s management, Kopp never received a call back and eventually dug into the matter with the help of CBC’s investigative television program, “Go Public.” rice field.
It was only when the media got involved that Brinks acknowledged the failure. “Less than 0.01% of Brinks Home’s total customer base had the ability to view contact information for a small subset of other customers,” it claimed.
Brinks added, “We didn’t need to notify the customer due to the nature of the data being visualized.”
I’m not sure I can agree with that. When it comes to things like home security, I want to partner with a company that not only protects my home, but also protects my personal information.
And what about nobody at Brinks contacting Kopp about his findings?
“Unfortunately, the third-party customer service representative who spoke with Mr. Kopp did not follow the proper protocols and procedures required by Brinks Home when escalation was requested by the customer. After receiving a direct email, Brinks Home’s team responded quickly and addressed the issue within 24 hours without impacting service. We have stepped up our protocols and training with our personnel.”
Brinks said he was unable to verify financial or banking information as part of the case and that (to the best of his knowledge) Kopp was “the only customer who had access to other customers’ information.”
