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| WHSmith 'bug' spreads customer data | |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| Thousands of magazine subscribers with WHSmith have received emails containing the details of other customers owing to a processing "bug". | |
| Details including names, addresses and phone numbers have been emailed to other customers. | Details including names, addresses and phone numbers have been emailed to other customers. |
| The information has come from the retailer's "contact us" form, which has then been sent on to others. | |
| Angry customers have complained on social media. WHSmith said that no payment details had been compromised. | |
| "We have been alerted to a systems processing bug by I-subscribe, who manage our magazine subscriptions. It is a bug not a data breach," the retailer said. | |
| "We believe that this has impacted fewer than 40 customers who left a message on the 'contact us' page where this bug was identified, that has resulted in some customers receiving emails that have been misdirected in error." | |
| WHSmith has not revealed how many people received the details of those customers, but it is understood to be thousands. | |
| The BBC has seen some emails which show people using the contact form to complain about the initial problem, in an apparent vicious circle. | |
| WHSmith added that the problematic form had been taken down and those affected were being contacted with an apology. | |
| "We can confirm that this issue has not impacted or compromised any customer passwords or payment details," it said. |