05:00 AM EDT, 06/04/2025 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with Vodafone's ( VOD ) response in the sixth paragraph.)

Vodafone ( VOD ) has been struck with two fines totalling 45 million euros ($51.3 million) by Germany's Federal Institute for Digital Infrastructure over "malicious behavior" by partners accused of fraud, the agency said Tuesday.

The agency also fined Vodafone ( VOD ) 15 million euros for failing to properly monitor partner agencies and 30 million euros for security flaws on its online customer service portal that allowed unauthorized people to access customer accounts, the agency said in a statement as translated by Google.

"Where data protection violations occur, sanctions must be imposed," said Louisa Specht-Riemenschneider, head of the German agency, according to Google translation.

The agency said Vodafone ( VOD ) has since improved its processes and systems "to eliminate such risks in the future" and upgraded its process for selecting partners.

The agency and the company also said that Vodafone ( VOD ) cooperated with the investigation and has already paid the fine.

In a statement, Vodafone Germany acknowledged past deficiencies which "led to fraud by malicious employees of partner agencies" and said data protection is now "a top priority" at the company. "Vodafone ( VOD ) has analyzed and fundamentally revised its systems and processes," the company said.