Uncovering Departures at HMRC: Employees Dismissed for Illegally Accessing Taxpayer Records
In the past few years, the UK tax authority, HMRC, has seen an increase in data security breaches, with a total of 186 employees being dismissed between 2022 and 2025 for such infractions. This rise in breaches has been particularly notable since the pandemic, as staff have been more likely to blend official data with personal devices while working from home.
One high-profile case involved an employee who emailed a file containing personal data of 100 people to print at home, leading to their dismissal in a tribunal. However, it's crucial to note that there is no clear evidence linking this increase in breaches to a specific incident in June 2022, or any direct impact on taxpayers.
The June incident, where fraudsters accessed details of 100,000 taxpayers, is estimated to have cost around £47 million in bogus rebates. Yet, it remains unclear if the recent data of dismissed employees is connected to this incident.
HMRC's use of data, including AI tools to trawl through social media posts, has come under fire. Critics warn of potential Horizon-style scandals if errors creep in with HMRC's use of AI tools.
Access to personal data by HMRC is limited to criminal investigations, and there are safeguards in place to prevent misuse of personal data. The FOI request uncovered additional disciplinary data related to data security breaches at HMRC, but no specific details about the June incident or any direct link to home working have been disclosed.
As of now, HMRC has not yet responded to a request for clarification on whether the new data is linked to the June incident. Our website has also asked HMRC to comment on the potential risks of using AI tools for data analysis.
It's important to note that the total number of dismissed employees represents around 0.1% of HMRC's 68,000-strong workforce. While cyber attacks and data breaches have broadly increased across UK businesses and organisations, specific attribution to HMRC staff or a direct causal link to the June 2022 timeframe is not present in currently available public information.
As the shift to remote work continues, it will be interesting to see how HMRC addresses these data security challenges and ensures the protection of taxpayer information.
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