Assistance and support to victims
Article 16
1. Member States shall ensure that natural and legal persons who have suffered harm as a result of any of the offences referred to in Articles 3 to 8 being committed by misusing personal data, are: (a) offered specific information and advice on how to protect themselves against the negative consequences of the offences, such as reputational damage; and (b) provided with a list of dedicated institutions that deal with different aspects of identity-related crime and victim support. 2. Member States are encouraged to set up single national online information tools to facilitate access to assistance and support for natural or legal persons who have suffered harm as a result of the offences referred to in Articles 3 to 8 being committed by misusing personal data. 3. Member States shall ensure that legal persons that are victims of the offences referred to in Articles 3 to 8 of this Directive are offered the following information without undue delay after their first contact with a competent authority: (a) the procedures for making complaints with regard to the offence and the victim's role in such procedures; (b) the right to receive information about the case in accordance with national law; (c) the available procedures for making complaints if the competent authority does not respect the victim's rights in the course of criminal proceedings; (d) the contact details for communications about their case.