Woman sues Bell, Nordia after alleged privacy breach by call centre employee

A Cape Breton woman is suing BCE Inc. and a call centre company after an employee of the centre allegedly breached her privacy. Richelle McCormick launched her action against Bell, Bell Mobility, call centre operator Nordia Inc., and a Nordia worker last month. In February 2023, McCormick said she was allegedly targeted by harassers after she saw a doctored video on TikTok that purported to show a non-binary creator as being predatory towards children. She then posted the unedited video disputing those claims, which “garnered significant attention,” according to court documents. That’s when the Glace Bay resident was targeted by harassers, court documents filed in Nova Scotia state. McCormick said she normally wouldn’t let that sort of thing bother her. “That’s really not a concern of mine. I have the ability to ignore targeted campaigns for the most part,” she told The Wire Report in an interview. As part of the harassment, McCormick’s name was allegedly put on a site on the dark web that is used to “dox” people, or make their personal information publicly available for people to use to harass them, court documents state. It all came to a head in August of last year. McCormick disabled her TikTok account due to the harassment, according to her statement of claim, and then a friend told her that the online mob had access to her phone records, which she did not originally believe to be possible. Later, by spoofing her number, the harassers allegedly contacted local police, saying she was manic, had a weapon, and was struggling with her gender identity. All were lies, she said. “The police arrived at my home after midnight,” McCormick alleged. “So I was woken out of bed and met with this kind of interaction with the police.” In September, McCormick allegedly changed her number and was charged $55 by Bell to do so. Court documents state she told the representative on the other end of the line that she was being harassed by people who somehow had her phone number, and the numbers of her friends. The next day, the Nordia call centre worker, based in Kitchener, Ont., allegedly posted the new number online so the harassment could continue. McCormick alleged she was told in January her data had been compromised, and she then phoned Bell and gave them the Nordia worker’s name. She was allegedly told there was no problem. Then, last March, she said a friend in Montreal gave her a Google Drive file with proof of the privacy breach. “When I read and listened to what was being said and done, my eyes nearly popped out of my head,” she states. A TikTok video allegedly showed a text message from the call centre worker saying, “Me secretly in the background makes me feel like I’m doing something historically significant to help,” the notice of action states. “It’s not for glory or fame. It’s for my own satisfaction that when I leave this world some day I will know I contributed.” That’s when McCormick decided to sue. She is seeking unspecified damages from the four defendants. Nova Scotia does not require that plaintiffs outline specific dollar amounts when first filing. Her Montreal friend is considering his own action based on harassment he received, she said. McCormick’s lawyer Laura Neilan could not say if the call centre worker is still working for Nordia. “I know that Nordia would not accept service on behalf but they didn’t say one way or the other if she’s still employed there,” Neilan said. Bell spokesperson Morgan Shipley said the company would not comment on the lawsuit. “We have not been served with any claim and are unable to comment,” she wrote in an email. Nordia did not respond to a request for comment. None of the allegations has been tested in court. –Reporting by Paul Park at ppark@thewirereport.ca

Woman sues Bell, Nordia after alleged privacy breach by call centre employee

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By Paul Park
| August 20, 2024

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