Over 1,000 Scots join class action suit against M&S after cyber hack
More than 1,000 Scots have joined legal action against Marks & Spencer following a major cyber attack that compromised customer data, lawyers say.
The news comes after we revealed the retail giant is facing a multi-million-pound case for failing to keep personal data safe.
Hackers obtained customer and staff information that could include phone numbers, home addresses, dates of birth and online ordering histories of millions of people in a cyberattack in April.
In May, we told how Thompsons Solicitors launched a class action suit which could result in compensation pay-outs of several hundred pounds per customer.
The action allows affected individuals to seek compensation collectively, rather than through individual claims.
M&S has since admitted that the incident was the result of 'human error' and said the fallout is expected to cost the company around £300m.
The Co-Op Group was also targeted at the same time in a ransomware attack – believed to be part of a wider coordinated operation by criminals.
Although no passwords or financial information were taken, experts warn that this kind of data could be used to commit identity fraud or enhance phishing scams.
Thompsons senior partner Patrick McGuire said the number of claimants are quickly continuing to grow with more expected to join. He said: 'The level of engagement from the public with this class action has been huge. It is the fastest growing case we have ever handled.
'The public are furious with M&S who they saw as a trusted brand while the hackers saw them as an easy target. The failure to protect our clients valuable data has led to many already being targeted by organised criminals. I expect this case to continue to grow and we will make sure our clients get proper compensation for this huge breach of trust.'
Thompsons has previously represented clients in other data breach cases involving organisations such as Arnold Clark and the University of the West of Scotland.
According to the UK Government's Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025, 43% of businesses reported experiencing at least one cyberattack or breach in the past year. The prevalence of ransomware attacks has also increased significantly, with an estimated 1% of all UK businesses – roughly 19,000 firms – affected in 2025, up from less than 0.5% in 2024.
Mr McGuire said the trend should serve as a warning for all companies holding personal data.
A spokesperson for Marks & Spencer said it has not yet received any group litigation claims.
They added: 'We wrote to our customers as soon as we could in relation to their personal data, making clear that no useable card or payment details or account passwords had been extracted during the cyber incident, and that there was no evidence that any customer data had been shared, which we continue to monitor and remains the case.'
The boss of Marks & Spencer said last week that he hoped its online operations would be running 'fully' within four weeks as it continues to recover from the damaging cyber attack.
Stuart Machin told the retailer's annual general meeting: 'I have previously highlighted that it would take all of June and all of July, maybe into August but definitely by July.
'Currently, half of online is open but not areas like click and collect. Within the next four weeks we are hoping for the whole of online to be fully on.'
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