Data stolen from 270,000 users of a fast loan website

Data stolen from 270,000 users of a fast loan website

Over the years they have appeared as mushroom quick loan web services. There are them everywhere. Some even promise microloans of 300 euros with only 5 euros of interest . In the Internet age, countless websites with these characteristics have also appeared: they promise fast money.

Today we have learned that they have stolen data from 270,000 users of a quick loan website called Wonga . It is likely that her motto (Pim, Pam, Pasta) sounds familiar to you, because a few months ago an advertisement for her appeared on television.

The Wonga company's database has just suffered a security attack in which data from more than 270,000 users have been stolen. In fact, it has been the firm itself that has explained that they are urgently investigating illegal and unauthorized access, logically, to the personal data of a good portion of their clients.

So much so that the firm has had to contact borrowers and offer them a dedicated hotline . Not surprisingly, stolen data is extremely sensitive.

These include information such as names, addresses, phone numbers, bank account numbers, and other codes that could allow hackers to carry out all kinds of operations .

wonga cards

Most of the stolen data is from the UK

According to the information we have on the table for now, of all this data, 245,000 would belong to users in the United Kingdom. Hence, security expert Alan Woodward, professor of cybersecurity at the University of Surrey, says that this is one of the largest security breaches found in a financial service .

There is, however, an added portion of 25,000 affected users who would be Poles . At the moment there is no news that warns us about any theft of data perpetrated in the database of Spanish customers. Do not lose sight of the fact that Wonga has been operating in our country for a long time.

We will have to remain alert

Wonga has apologized and has also advised its customers to stay tuned for the notices . It is known, in fact, hackers could have stolen up to the last four digits of customers' bank cards.

This is data that, as you know, many banks use to verify customer logins through their online services.

The company has explained that it became aware of the existence of this security hole last week. However, he thought it was nothing serious . Fortunately, on Friday he realized the true scale of the attacks and decided to inform customers via email and text messages.

steal data

Recommendations for clients of this fast loan website

For now, Spanish users can rest assured. It seems that your data is safe. Although it never hurts to take extreme precautions.

Wonga has launched a help page offering advice to its clients. And although in principle you would not have to be affected, the advice seems equally valid .

  • Alert your bank and ask them to report any suspicious transactions. At the same time, we recommend that you regularly check your bank statements in search of movements that you do not recognize.
  • Be careful with calls or messages that ask for more information . They may be produced to ask customers to fill in some of their details. Do not provide information to anyone, if you are not sure who you are offering it to.
  • Lastly, we recommend that you change your passwords regularly . Do not repeat keys and try to think of complex codes, combining upper and lower case letters and numbers.