Spammers managed to purloin a mailing list that was managed by the BBC. The email accounts that were on the list were then subject to a barrage of, you guessed it, spam.
From the Telegraph:
The spam e-email offered the sex drugs at “US$1.49 per pill” but such advertisements are often a front for identity fraudsters attempting to glean financial information from their victims.
John Whittingdale, chairman of the all-party Commons Culture Committee, called on the BBC to take urgent steps to protect personal details from event the security lapse being repeated.
“This is a very serious incident and I would expect them to take urgent action,” said the Conservative MP.
So, the question is, do you trust your personal information will be handled safely by large organizations?