The Government was accused of a fresh security blunder yesterday after Britain’s top taxman sent millions of parents an apology letter containing sensitive personal data.

Anti-fraud experts and police urged people to destroy the letters, which contain each claimants’ name, address, national insurance and child benefit numbers. Criminals use such information to open bank accounts, claim benefits and apply for passports.

Nigel Evans MP, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Identity Fraud, said that the taxman’s latest error would come like an early Christmas present to conmen.

“A million letters go missing every day; there are households of multiple occupation,” Mr Evans said. “There are people paid to rummage in people’s bins: they will know that information will be lying in the rubbish over the next few days. Fraudsters can sit on the information for some time so people should check their bank accounts carefully.”

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The 7.25 million letters began being sent by second-class last Friday and will continue being posted for seven days. Any parent who fails to receive one is asked to ring HM Revenue & Customs on 0845 302 1444.

The messages say sorry for last week’s security blunder when tax officials admitted losing two CDs, containing 25 million families’ bank and benefit details, in the post.

Apologies are being sent in the name of Dave Hartnett, acting chairman since Paul Gray resigned over the missing discs scandal.

“I would like to offer my personal apologies for any worry or concern this data loss may cause you,” Mr Hartnett writes. “I can assure you that all efforts are being made to ensure that such a loss can never happen again.” Unfortunately, his mass apology has immediately delivered some of that same confidential information straight into the wrong hands. Tina Young, 29, of Seghill, Northumberland, innocently opened one of the letters and found the private details of a woman who had moved away two years ago.

“It’s unbelievable. I’m panicking now because I haven’t had a letter with my own details and who knows where that could be or who’s got it?” she said. “To mess up once is stupid but to do it again is disgusting. I called Revenue & Customs straight away but they were dismissive. I don’t think they’re taking this seriously.”

Revenue & Customs blamed parents for letting the details fall into the wrong hands, saying that claimants should have provided up-to-date addresses.

“People who haven’t told us that they have moved house: their letters are going to the latest postal address that we have for them,” a spokesman said.

“The letter doesn’t include any information that anybody would use unless they were determined to steal your post – and if they were, they would steal your bank material, rather than a letter from Revenue & Customs.”

dkennedy@thetimes.co.uk

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