Westcountry estate agent Webbers sends 'personal data' warning after 'security breach'

'I would like to stress that our own security has not been breached, rather, data was compromised via third party organisations that are business partners'

A Westcountry estate agent has warned people a data breach that has exposed the personal information of thousands, we can reveal.

Webbers Estate Agents issued a warning message to clients, renters and buyers throughout Cornwall and the South West that their data may have been compromised following a hack.

The 100-year-old award-winning firm, which has its headquarters in Barnstaple in north Devon and branches either as Webbers or Fine & Country in Bude , Bodmin , Launceston as well as in Devon and Somerset, issued a message warning on Tuesday (October 6) that, as a result of a "security breach", clients' personal information such as their names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses may have been stolen by cyber criminals.

The message sent out by Webbers was shared with CornwallLive . It reads: "We are obliged to inform you that we have been made aware, at approximately 4pm today of a security breach that may have affected your personal data, i.e. your name, address and information, telephone number and e-mail address.

"I would like to stress that our own security has not been breached, rather, data was compromised via third party organisations that are business partners of Webbers Property Services Ltd.

"We are clearly working closely with these organisations to fully understand the scale of the breach and with that in-mind, I would expect to be in a position to clarify further detail within the 24 hours."

Already the hack has caused consternation and upset among clients of Webbers.

Many have taken to social media to vent their frustration and anger.

One client of the firm posted on a page: "Fine & Country Estate Agents/Webbers Property Services Ltd have had a serious data breach and been hacked.

"If you have contacted the agent/s even just as an enquiry, your data has been breached. Why do they keep personal data without permission, much longer than is needed.

"They have emailed but not everyone has had the email. Unbelievable that they had no safeguarding in place sloppy and avoidable. Now we are open to scammers which is bad enough without this serious breach."

One local resident said that since the hack he has received a "lot of spam calls".

However another was more relaxed . She said: "Ok so this is serious. But honestly people are selling our details all the time. I get scam calls, emails and messages all the time. What's the difference?"

The Webbers' data breach comes as online fashion store ASOS was also hacked yesterday with many customers receiving alarming in-app notifications claiming the online retail giant has been "fully compromised".

Some customers received 'ASOS HACKED' messages leaving them worried to open the app for fear of being further hacked.

ASOS acknowledged the "unauthorised customer notification" on Tuesday afternoon, saying some "basic personal information" may have been accessed.

In an email to customers on Tuesday night, the company apologised and urged customers not to engage with the notification. And it said the website and app are "operating as usual" promising customers they can "shop with confidence" while it investigates the incident.

As with ASOS, it is not yet clear whether Webbers has informed the UK's data watchdog, the Information Commission's Office (ICO), any breach.

A spokesperson for Webbers said: "We are investigating an IT incident which affected a third-party service provider. Our present understanding is this involved basic details for a subset of our clients. We are liaising closely with our clients and the relevant authorities on a precautionary basis."

We have also asked Fine & Country for a .