British Gas hacking alert

Dr Andrew Taylor: scam fears

A RETIRED Saddleworth doctor believes millions of British Gas customers could have had their emails hacked.

Dr Andrew Taylor, a community GP and Oldham Mountain Rescue Team’s doctor, is chair of the 400-strong Greenfield and Grasscroft Residents Association. He is urging an investigation after alerting British Gas customer services department over unsolicited email..

In a note to the fuel giant showing the pirate email, he cites the source of the message and declares: “The text purporting to be from British Gas is obviously spam, phishing or malware. My concern is all the personal details about me in the email are correct — implying that British Gas customer information has been hacked.

The physician is pressing the company to provide him with the personal data held about him.

Speaking from his Grasscroft home, he said: “My personal view is one of concern for my financial security and that of others. The email is very well designed and looks extremely plausible.

“More frightening is the detail supposedly securely held by British Gas: email address, title, name, account number, address and Nectar card number without showing for example my bank account details, which they must as surely have.”

A British Gas spokesperson said: “We are investigating. If any British Gas customers think they may have received a scam email, we ask them please to contact us.”

Contact British Gas on 0800 048 0505 or visit www.britishgas.co.uk if you have had a similar email.