Lloyds Banking Group has initiated an inquiry following reports from some Lloyds, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland clients who claimed they could access other users’ transactions on their app and online banking platforms.
According to a woman who spoke to the BBC, she was able to view the accounts of six different users on her Bank of Scotland app within a 20-minute window. Among the transactions she allegedly saw were benefit payments from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) utilizing recipients’ National Insurance numbers as payment references.
Additionally, she noted payments from a pub in Newcastle, located 154 miles away from her residence in Kirkcaldy, Fife, and payments to Waitrose, despite no nearby Waitrose stores.
Consumer advocate Martin Lewis mentioned on social media that individuals had contacted him about observing unauthorized transactions in their accounts. Several users confirmed they had witnessed unfamiliar payments before the system reverted to displaying their own transactions.
The total number of affected individuals remains uncertain, given that Lloyds Banking Group serves around 26 million customers. The incident seemed to arise around 7 am, coinciding with an increase in complaints reported on outage tracker DownDetector.
A spokesperson for Lloyds Banking Group expressed regret over the inconvenience caused to some customers who encountered a brief issue viewing transactions on the app. The problem was promptly resolved, and an investigation is underway to determine the cause.
One user shared her distress upon discovering unfamiliar transactions when accessing her banking app, feeling as though she was peeking into someone else’s financial activities. The individual expressed concern over potential security breaches and questioned the integrity of her own personal information in the aftermath of the incident.
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