Capita: Watchdog warns pension funds over data after hack

Hundreds of pension funds have been asked to check whether data was stolen by cybercriminals during a major hack of the UK's largest outsourcer.

The Pensions Regulator has asked schemes that use Capita to assess whether pensioners' personal data is at risk.

Following the hack, information held on behalf of some customers began to circulate online.

They included passport images, home addresses and even floorplans of homes.

The pensions watchdog said on Sunday that it had written to the hundreds of pension funds that employ Capita to administer their payment systems, urging them to "determine whether there is a risk to their scheme's data".

A spokesman for the Pensions Regulator added: "We take IT security and the risk of cyber attacks extremely seriously." Capita said that only a small number of its computer servers were compromised.

In a statement, it said that it has also been in regular contact with authorities since the hack and that it will update them on the investigation as it progresses.

The company provides IT services among its businesses, which also include running the London congestion charging zone, collecting the BBC licence fee and overseeing training for the Royal Navy.

It is also a leading pension adviser in the UK, providing consulting services to 150 pension schemes.