YouGov PLC (AIM:YOU) said it had been tricked out of £1.8 million by cyber fraudsters using impersonation software to authorise an illegal payment.
In a statement with its full-year results, the pollster said it had been the victim of a “social engineering event” but there was no breach of its systems or data compromised.
“We believe we have taken the necessary actions, and sufficiently increased control measures and employee awareness, to prevent future incidents of this nature,” it added.
Shares in the polling specialist jumped 11% as the results from the recent acquisition of Consumer Panel Services (CPS) were better than expected and lifted revenues by 30% to £335 million.
On a like-for-like basis, top-line growth was 3% against 9% in the comparable year.
Broker Peel Hunt added the numbers were better than expected for revenue and earnings.
“Most of the FY25E cost-saving measures are in place, but the corporate spending backdrop remains tough," it added.
“However, we believe that confirming market expectations for FY25 should be supportive of the shares today, given their recent weakness. “
The shares rose 49p to 447p.