TFG London, the fashion retailer behind Phase Eight, Hobbs and Whistles, has confirmed that customers' personal data was accessed during a cyber attack. The company contacted customers on October 28 after an investigation revealed the breach, which was discovered on October 11 when its IT systems, used across the three brands, were affected.
Investigation and Notification
Chief executive Justin Hampshire informed customers by email that the business had acted immediately to secure its systems, appointed independent cybersecurity specialists, and notified the relevant authorities. He added that investigations were ongoing to establish exactly what information had been accessed, but stressed that contacting customers did not necessarily mean their individual data had been compromised.
Information potentially affected includes contact and delivery details, order information, and, in some cases, limited payment details such as the last four digits of a payment card.
Payment Details and Customer Advice
TFG London confirmed that the breach did not involve usable payment card details and that there was no evidence that account login information or passwords had been accessed. A third-party provider handles the payment process, and the company said customers did not need to take any immediate action.
Shoppers were advised to remain vigilant for unexpected emails, phone calls, and text messages, as any compromised information could potentially be used by criminals to make scam communications appear more convincing. The retailer also reminded customers that Phase Eight would never request passwords or full payment card details by email, text message, or telephone.
Recent Cyber Attacks in Retail
The incident follows a cyber attack on online fashion retailer ASOS earlier this month, which saw thousands of customers receive an app notification titled "ASOS hacked". The message read: "Dear ASOS DPO and IT, we have full compromised the Snowflake instance. Engage with us, or we will leak it," and was accompanied by a link to Telegram.
ASOS said: "We are investigating unauthorised activity involving third-party platforms that we use to communicate with customers. We took immediate action to restrict access to the notification platforms and are working with our internal and external specialist advisers, as well as all relevant authorities. Our website and app are operating as normal, with no current disruption to any aspects of our operations. Customer trust is incredibly important to us, and if the situation changes, an update will be provided as appropriate."
