Not upheld: Other regulated complaint complaint against Lantern Debt Recovery Services Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr M complained that Lantern Debt Recovery Services Limited had not adequately remedied a data security incident in April 2025 that resulted in unauthorized access to his personal data. Lantern offered a 12-month complimentary credit monitoring and fraud protection service, but Mr M sought monetary compensation for the worry caused, arguing the monitoring service was unhelpful as he already had credit report access. The ombudsman found that Lantern's remedy was comprehensive and appropriate, providing proactive monitoring, alerts, and specialist support that would better protect Mr M than compensation. The ombudsman also determined that subsequent issues Mr M experienced with his phone and debt management plan address could not be fairly linked to the Lantern incident and therefore did not uphold the complaint.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman assessed whether Lantern had done all they could to put Mr M back in the position he would have been in but for the incident. The ombudsman found that while Mr M experienced worry and subsequent issues with his phone and DMP address, these could not be fairly linked to the Lantern incident. The ombudsman determined that the 12-month credit monitoring service with proactive scanning for data online, alerts, and specialist support was comprehensive and more protective than monetary compensation, and therefore constituted a fair remedy that went as close as possible to restoring Mr M's position.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website