Atlas Biomed, with offices in London, has gone missing.
A DNA testing company with alleged Russian ties has disappeared with highly sensitive data from its customers, according to a BBC report. The company Atlas Biomed, which has offices in London, used to provide insight into the genetic makeup of its customers and their predisposition to certain diseases. But the company appears to have gone off-grid as customers have been left in the dark and worried about the security of their data, including biometrics. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said it was aware of the incident and confirmed it had received a complaint about the company's disappearance.
“People have the right to expect that organizations handle their personal data securely and responsibly,” the report said.
The Atlas Biomed website is no longer active and the phone number listed is also dead. The Instagram page, with more than 11,000 followers, contained the last post from March 2022.
“DO NOT ORDER – SCAM ALERT. They have not been in business since June 2023. I ordered and sent samples in July but still nothing, and have since found numerous accounts of people with the same problem. Their email address no longer works .No way to contact them,” said a netizen on the page.
The company's registered office is located near London's Silicon Roundabout, a prime location for technology companies. A business registration agency based in the building stated that Atlas Biomed was their client and had used the address legitimately. However, the company declined to reveal further details about the missing DNA testing company.
The Russian connection
The company may be gone, but its ties to Russia have been exposed. Although Biomed is registered with Companies House, where all UK-based companies are required to register, Biomed has not filed accounts since December 2022. At last update, it had eight official positions listed, four of which had resigned.
Interestingly, two of the remaining officers had listed their addresses in Moscow, which matched a Russian billionaire described as a now-resigned director of Atlas Biomed.
Two of the apparent surviving officers are listed at the same Moscow address, as is a Russian billionaire, described as a now-resigned director.
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Customers confused
Lisa Topping, a resident of Saffron Walden, Essex, told the publication that she sent her saliva sample to the company and paid $130 for a personalized genetic report. Although Ms Topping received her DNA profile and predisposition to certain diseases, she could no longer access the report online, which she used to do occasionally.
“I don't know what anyone else could do with it [the data] but it's the most personal information…I don't know how comfortable I feel that they just disappeared,” Ms Topping said.
There is no explanation as to where Atlas Biomed's customer DNA database ended up. However, there are so far no indications that it is being abused.
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