Recruiter giving out my personal information

[Sapphire2021]

I was recently made redundant and I have started a job search. My former employer owes me money (unpaid wages £15k ) and it’s going through ET with a uk gov insolvency claim attached.

Former employer has contacted recruiter I am using to obtain information on my job search and reasons for me looking for new job. Recruiter has provided information 😡.

Whilst I have nothing to hide I am mad that recruiter is giving out my information in such a sloppy way. I’ve made a SAR a data breach complaint and I’ve told them to desist giving out my information to my former employer. AIBU here?

Former employer is trying not to pay unpaid wages. I presume they think if I get a new job they won’t have to pay!

Surely if you give your profile etc to a recruiter and a company contacts them asking for more info, them providing that is just them doing the job you have asked them to do?

@Sapphire2021

Small recruiter- do you think there in on it or just a blip

I haven't RTFT so apologies if I missed anything but your OP sounds to me like the recruiter might have wanted to please their client? I mean times are hard, if this is a client that uses them regularly, it means they have regular commission coming in, right? Maybe they didn't want to piss him off so provided the information that was requested. Ie your job search. Hard to imagine it being just a "blip" unless they were absolutely unaware of GDPR and confidentiality, but then again, you just use your common sense...but this is just my opinion.

@Fatladyslim

Surely if you give your profile etc to a recruiter and a company contacts them asking for more info, them providing that is just them doing the job you have asked them to do?

It depends on the info requested though, it’s not a carte blanche freedom for the recruiter to spill everything; her ex employer was snooping and fishing for information to use against her rather than attempting to hire her. Surely the recruiter would be aware she left the company and should have sought OP’s permission

The recruiter knew I left including dates and they wrote a letter of involvement for me. I stopped using them though because they had no suitable vacancies in the area I work in

@Fatladyslim

Surely if you give your profile etc to a recruiter and a company contacts them asking for more info, them providing that is just them doing the job you have asked them to do?

You are completely missing the point. This was an ex employer fishing for info on OP. Not someone looking to hire OP. Even then, you cant normally just share someone's details because you have them on file with anyone who asks for them...

@Fatladyslim

Surely if you give your profile etc to a recruiter and a company contacts them asking for more info, them providing that is just them doing the job you have asked them to do?

No one asks a recruiter to tell people what other jobs you’re applying for. I wouldn’t expect a recruiter to share that information with employers I’m actually hoping would give me a job.

In this case this is an ex-employer with no vacancies. Both the old employer and the recruiter are unprofessional.

I’m glad you’ve reported the recruiter OP. I hate that jobs often aren’t even advertised any more and everything is done via recruiters. Everything would be so much simpler and more transparent if companies had to advertise job vacancies on their website so people can deal with them directly instead of a middle man being involved.