Blue chip hacking Scandal

What has become known as the blue-chip hacking scandal was first investigated by the Serious Organised Crime Agency six years ago but the report in to it only emerged, via a leak, this year.
The techniques used to obtain information are said to include phone and computer hacking, live phone interceptions, use of corrupt police officers and blagging.
Soca has been accused of doing next to nothing to end apparent unlawful activities by private investigators hired by corporations and individuals.
The report was even submitted to the Leveson Inquiry in to media ethics but it was not raised in public sessions or the final report.
It is alleged businesses and others would hire private detectives to obtain sensitive information.
The investigators would either glean the information themselves or contract out to additional private eyes.
It remains unclear how many of the “clients” were aware that information was being obtained illegally.
Methods are said to include phone and computer hacking, live phone interceptions, use of corrupt police officers and blagging.
One private detective, who was involved in hacking and blagging for well known companies said the practice had been well established for decades.
The retired police officer, who asked not to be named, said: "I mainly worked for insurance companies and law firms and the information they were asking for varied from financial data to personal information. If someone had made a large insurance claim then I would receive instructions to find out information in order to establish if the claim was fraudulent. Sometimes this would involve obtaining information unlawfully, but there was a sort of justification.”