Two former RAC employees who profited from selling personal information of customers involved in road accidents have been ordered to repay more than £118,000 or face imprisonment. The pair, who avoided immediate jail time two years ago, now must surrender their ill-gotten gains under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Details of the Scam
Debbie Okparavero, 63, from Salford, and Maliha Islam, 53, from Manchester, worked as customer service specialists at the RAC call centre in Stretford, Trafford. They unlawfully copied and sold over 29,500 lines of personal data. The RAC discovered the breach after installing new security monitoring software and promptly reported it to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
The software revealed that Okparavero had accessed and copied personal information of individuals involved in road traffic accidents. A search of her mobile phone showed the data was shared with Islam via WhatsApp, with messages indicating a third party paid for the information.
Previous Sentencing
At Minshull Street Crown Court on 8 October 2024, both were sentenced to six months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work. They had pleaded guilty to offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Confiscation Orders
At Proceeds of Crime Act hearings, the ICO secured a total of £118,852.32 in confiscation orders. At a hearing on 29 May 2026 at Manchester Crown Court, Okparavero was ordered to pay £85,727.32 plus £3,550 in costs. If not paid within three months, she will serve 18 months in prison and still owe the full amount. At a previous hearing in November 2025, Islam was ordered to pay £33,125 plus £2,797.50 costs within three months, failing which she would face 10 months in prison. Islam has since paid the full confiscation order.
ICO Statement
Andy Curry, Head of ICO Investigations, said: “Accessing people’s personal information when there isn’t a business need to do so is against the law. To then take steps to profit from other people’s misfortune by selling that information is appalling. We will always take action to protect the public from this type of unlawful behaviour.” He added: “This outcome demonstrates justice did not end at sentencing. Our powers enabled us to continue to pursue these two individuals in order to strip them of assets gained through their serious criminal activity.”
The RAC has since relocated its 300 staff from Stretford to new premises at Salford Quays.
