{"id":13863,"date":"2017-08-14T14:58:59","date_gmt":"2017-08-14T13:58:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/?p=13863"},"modified":"2025-10-14T14:44:41","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T13:44:41","slug":"cyber-insurance-estate-agents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.policybee.co.uk\/blog\/cyber-insurance-estate-agents","title":{"rendered":"Cyber insurance for estate agents"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

It all started with a laptop left on a train.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A valuer working for a London-based chain of estate agents had a backlog of paperwork to catch up on, so he did the obvious thing and took his laptop home with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The valuer was a seasoned commuter and took the same train every evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only he didn\u2019t usually have a laptop with him. That\u2019s why, when he reached his stop, he gathered up his paper and left, completely forgetting the laptop stowed safely under his seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was only when he got home he realised his mistake. He was cross and frustrated, and he knew he wouldn\u2019t be popular with the boss. But then again it was only a laptop, insured and replaceable. What\u2019s the worst that could happen?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home and dry<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As (bad) luck would have it, however, the person who\u2019d been sitting opposite our guy on the train happened to be a small-time crook. He clocked the laptop, made it his own, and once he\u2019d quickly checked out what was on it, sold it to a contact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now the laptop was in serious criminal hands and the situation quickly got worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t helped by the fact our valuer stored his passwords in a Word document on its desktop \u2013 including the one to access the estate agency\u2019s system remotely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t hard for our lucky criminal to simply type the password, enter the system and steal the client data held there. That included names and addresses, and bank account and debit card details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which is when the estate agent\u2019s clients began noticing large sums suddenly disappearing from their accounts. And when the police got involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Helping hand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Understandably, this was a stressful time for the estate agent and, frankly, they needed all the help they could get. Good job they had cyber insurance with crime cover to help:<\/p>\n\n\n\n