'Illegal' newspaper payments
An exclusive investigation by ITV News has discovered the true scale of payments made by many of Britain’s best selling newspapers for potentially illegal personal information.
Some of the methods used by Steve Whittamore and his associates to obtain information
- Ex-directory numbers: Getting phone numbers which are not included in the Phone Book
- Friends and family numbers: Getting BT Friends and Family chosen numbers (discounted calls to selected people)
- Criminal record checks: Criminal Records Checks carried out on the Police National Computer
- Vehicle registration: DVLA searches to get details from a number plate, such as the name and address of a driver
- Blags: Where information has been obtained from an organistation by deception
- Mobile Conversions: Getting personal details, such as a name and address, from a mobile number
- Landline Conversions: Getting personal details, such as a name and address, from a landline number
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The Motorman Files: How ITV News came to its conclusions
Our UK Bureau News Editor on how we worked out the amounts paid by newspapers for potentially illegal investigations
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Church: Information held on me 'all encompassing'
Singer Charlotte Church told ITV News the information held on her by some newspapers was "all encompassing of everybody I'd ever known".
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Breakdown of potentially illegal payments by papers
A detailed look at what each newspaper paid private investigator Steve Whittamore for data about celebrities, politicians and the public.