Over 100 employees have begun legal action against a Macclesfield Mercedes dealership, after personal data was accessed in a cyber attack

More than 100 current and former employees of a car dealership with a site in Macclesfield have launched legal action after their personal data was accessed in a serious security breach.

Legal experts from leading specialist data breach law firm Hayes Connor today confirmed that the group were beginning their legal fight against Mercedes dealership LSH Auto, which has dealerships across the Midlands and North West, after failing to get any answers from the company as to how their data had been breached and what happened to it.

The 106-strong group - which includes both current workers at LSH's eight dealerships and former members of staff - were first contacted by bosses at the firm by letter more than six months ago, prompting serious concerns amongst those affected.

The letter warned them that the business had suffered a 'security incident' on June 3 last year, which "may have resulted in unauthorised access to your personal data". It went on to say that the cyber attack was carried out by 'unknown and unauthorised individual(s)'.

Experts at Hayes Connor have been working with a growing number of people affected by the breach since then, in a bid to find out exactly how the cyber attack could have happened and what data had been accessed.

It is feared that bank details, National Insurance numbers and other personal information could have been compromised in the attack, which the group's legal advisers say has caused them months of concern as they wait to find out more.

Christine Sabino, a Legal Director from Hayes Connor said: "The initial letter caused huge concern amongst those affected. Being told out of the blue that your data has been breached is worrying enough, but all of those affected still don't know which data was accessed and what might have happened to it.

"Whether they still work for this dealership or not, every single one of our clients has a right to know exactly what went wrong here. LSH owes each and every person affected an explanation for this unnecessary distress and should say what they intend to do for them."

She added: "LSH should also assure the people affected that this sort of incident won't happen again and outline what steps they have taken to protect everyone's data for the future.

"The very least you can expect from a current or former employer is that your private, highly personal information is kept safe but, sadly, we are seeing more and more of these cases and it's a real concern for the people affected."

LSH Auto operates from a number of sites in the North West and the Midlands, including Stockport, Bury, Macclesfield, Birmingham and Tamworth.

Hayes Connor was one of the first law firms in the UK to specialise in data protection law and data breach claims and has one of the largest teams of data breach experts in the country. It acts for clients on individual data breaches and also where the private information of a group of people has been compromised as part of a targeted attack or a large-scale data breach.

LSH Auto have a Macclesfield premises on the Lyme Green Business Park.

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