Credit card company Mitsubishi UFJ Nicos Co. said Thursday that it has lost key information on about 197,000 customers but that the data are unlikely to be leaked to unauthorized sources or abused in electronic transactions.
The incident is the latest in a spate of data-loss cases and is likely to trigger calls for more reliable information management. Insurer Alico Japan recently warned customers about possible credit card fraud after admitting that widespread leakage of its customer data had taken place.
Mitsubishi UFJ Nicos said an internal investigation revealed the company may have mistakenly discarded the data, which were compiled between 1993 and 2001 and include the names, addresses and bank account numbers of current and former Nicos and UFJ card customers.
The lost data, however, do not include their personal identification numbers, the company said.
Since the data were stored in a film that requires a special reading device to use, it is unlikely they will be leaked and no inquiries about the matter have been received, the company said.
"We will actively work to reinforce information management and implement preventive measures for erroneous disposal," it added.
In July, Alico Japan, a unit of American International Group Inc., reported possible cases of fraud connected to suspected leakage of credit card information on its policyholders.
In April, Mitsubishi UFJ Securities Co., a brokerage arm of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., announced that a former executive may have sold personal data on around 49,000 customers to three data list dealers.