Latitude Financial hack: legal firms launch investigation and potential class ... trends now

Latitude Financial hack: legal firms launch investigation and potential class ... trends now
Latitude Financial hack: legal firms launch investigation and potential class ... trends now

Latitude Financial hack: legal firms launch investigation and potential class ... trends now

Millions of customers could soon be compensated via a class action lawsuit, after Latitude Financial admitted that the records of more than 14 million Australians had been hacked.

Law firms Hayden Stephens and Associates and Gordon Legal have announced a potential class action against the company, which provides consumer finance services for David Jones, JB Hi-Fi, Apple, The Good Guys and Harvey Norman.

Until very recently , Latitude also operated a buy now, pay later service called LatitudePay, which it recently shut down. 

The lawsuit comes just one day after Latitude Financial announced that a huge tranche of customer information had been stolen - stretching back to 2005, and including 7.9million driver's licence numbers, 53,000 passport numbers and 6.1million customer records. 

Fewer than 100 customers had their monthly financial records stolen.

Two legal firms have launched an investigation into the Latitude Financial Services (pictured) hack after millions of Australians and New Zealanders had their personal information stolen

Two legal firms have launched an investigation into the Latitude Financial Services (pictured) hack after millions of Australians and New Zealanders had their personal information stolen

The law firms will investigate the hack was able to occur and what harm has been passed on to Latitude customers in its wake.

'Very much part of our investigation is to get answers to those questions,' Hayden Stephens, director of Hayden Stephens and Associates, told Sunrise. 

'It is possible, even probable, that this breach could have been avoided.' 

Mr Stephens previously told The Australian newspaper the option for compensation was being explored and an independent investigation was necessary. 

While all customers are encouraged to register for updates from the investigation, customers will likely need to prove harm suffered as a result of the breach in order to join a potential class action lawsuit. 

'In circumstances where someone has suffered distress or anxiety or they've seen evidence that data has been stolen or used in an inappropriate way, then it's every possibility that they could join the class action,' Mr Stephens said.

'What's

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