Repercussions of Stealing Customer or Client Data

This is one of the worst things you can do to any client/customer, whether you work remotely or not. Not only is it a huge betrayal of the trust given to you, but such a move can also potentially harm your customer or client’s business.

Hence, a client or customer or handler might include a confidentiality clause in your contract. This usually entails not divulging any trade secrets you might be privy too, and since data on a client list counts as a trade secret, stealing it automatically breaches this clause.

Another form of stealing customer/client data is when a contractor contacts a customer or client’s customers directly and entices them to work directly with him/her instead.

The repercussions in either case can range from any or even all of the following:

Immediate Contract Termination

If the contractor was still working with the client when the data theft was discovered, the latter can terminate their contract with the former immediately and without warning.

Injunctive Relief

This usually follows the previous item, and can immediately restrict the offender’s access to the client or customer’s company or business data. Furthermore, a court can order the guilty party to surrender all and any devices they possess containing the said information.

Legal Charges

In some countries, data theft counts as a criminal charge. At the very least, a remote contractor who commits data theft could be charged with breach of contract or copyright infringement.

Either way, legal charges on your record can’t be good for your future prospects.

Damages

Depending on the severity of the consequences, (a customer or client’s company could lose clients if word gets out about the data breach, etc.), the court could order you to pay for damages as well. If your client incurred legal costs in filing a lawsuit against you, that could be included too.