TFG London has confirmed that personal customer data was accessed in the cyber attack it identified on Sunday 11 October, and is contacting all its customers as a precaution.
The business, the UK arm of South Africa’s The Foschini Group, owns Phase Eight, Hobbs, Whistles, Inside Story and White Stuff. The incident affected IT systems used by Phase Eight, Hobbs and Whistles, and some website functions were unavailable in the days after it was found.
In an email to customers dated 28 October, chief executive Justin Hampshire said the company had secured its systems, brought in independent cyber security experts and notified the relevant government authorities.
What may have been accessed
According to the Phase Eight customer FAQ, the data affected may include:
- contact and delivery details, including name, email address, phone number and postal address
- order information, including items ordered
- limited payment information, such as the last four digits of a payment card.
The company said the last four digits of a card cannot be used on their own to make a payment. Its investigation has found no evidence that account login details or passwords were accessed. Being contacted does not mean a customer’s own data was affected, and work to establish exactly which information was taken is continuing.
Trading
TFG London said its stores and websites are fully operational and taking orders and returns. Payments are handled by a third-party provider. The company said the criminal group responsible appears to have been financially motivated and to have targeted the business rather than any individual’s information. It has warned customers to watch for scam emails, calls and texts that use order details to look genuine.
Customers who have received emails from more than one TFG London brand are being told these all relate to the same incident.
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