Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson has had an
unauthorised direct debit set up in his name after publishing his
bank account details.
Clarkson, 47, revealed his account number and sort code in his
Sun newspaper column as a way of
rubbishing the consequences of the government losing 25 million
people's personal details on two computer discs.
"All you will be able to do with them is put money into my
account. Not take it out. Honestly, I have never known such a
palaver about nothing," he told readers.
But Clarkson admitted he was "wrong" after he discovered a
reader had used his details to create a £500 direct debit to the
charity Diabetes UK.
"I opened my bank statement this morning to find out that
someone has set up a direct debit which automatically takes £500
from my account," he said in his Sunday Times column.
The bank cannot find out who did this because of the Data
Protection Act and they cannot stop it from happening again.