CONFIDENTIAL information about jobseekers was mistakenly sent out to a man claiming benefits.

The names and National Insurance numbers of eight people were posted to the man, along with details of job vacancies, by Colchester’s JobCentre.

The man, who does not wish to be named, saw his personal information on the document and is concerned it may have been sent to others. He said: “I think it’s pretty bad. It’s supposed to be confidential information. I’m wondering who else has my details.” The document also listed clients’ appointment times and the name of the JobCentre employee they would be meeting.

The document was handed back to the JobCentre by the Gazette, after we notified it of the error.

Thomas Raven was one of the names on the document, although he did not receive a copy. He and his father, Shaun, were appalled the sensitive information had been leaked. Thomas said: “It’s a bit worrying. They are trusted with your details.”

Shaun was concerned the JobCentre had been made aware of the incident on Friday, yet Thomas had not heard anything from them by yesterday lunchtime.

He said: “It’s not brilliant, to be honest. If they do this sort of thing by accident, we should be told.

“The fact we haven’t had any notification is not great.”

A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions, which runs the JobCentre, said: “We are extremely concerned. We have recovered the information and are looking into this to find out what happened and the measures we need to take to prevent this occurring again.”

A spokesman for the Information Commissioner’s Office, which regulates access to and use of personal information, said: “The office takes breaches of individuals’ privacy very seriously.

“Any organisation which processes personal information must ensure adequate safeguards are in place to keep it secure.

“The office encourages organisations to report any serious data security breaches.”