Guildford’s Job Centre Among 238 Hit By Data Breaches, Say Experts

Published on: 7 May, 2025
Updated on: 8 May, 2025

Guildford’s job centre and four others in Surrey suffered data breach incidents last year, according to government records.

Jobseekers are expected to share sensitive information when using the service, including names, addresses, National Insurance numbers, job histories and bank details, plus medical information in some cases.

Last year, Guildford’s job centre had three breaches, according to compensation experts Data Breach Claims UK. Staines also had three, says the organisation, while Woking, Epsom and Weybridge’s centres had one apiece,

Figures collected from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) show that almost 400 data breaches affected job centres across the country last year, while there were more than 250 data security issues involving mail errors.

Data Breach Claims UK have reported that they learned through a Freedom of Information request that 238 job centres experienced at least one breach between November 2023 and January 2025.

“In this current climate, jobseekers already have more than enough to worry about without a mistake causing their personal data to become public,” said Data Breach Claims UK specialist Bethan Hakesley.

“Even one data breach is too many, especially if it causes a person significant stress. If personal data gets in the wrong hands, it can have a devastating impact.

“We’ve supported many people who have had their lives turned upside down by a simple error with serious consequences. If someone suffers mental harm or financial damage because of a personal data breach, they’re well within their rights to look into claiming compensation.”

A data breach is defined by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as a “breach of security leading to the accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure of, or access to, personal data”.

The DWP said that there were 261 ‘postal security incidents’ between November 2023 and January 2025. Such incidents involve letters being sent to the wrong address and their contents–including an individual’s personal data–being seen by the wrong person.

This happened most often in Coventry, where 30 incidents were recorded.

None of the confirmed postal security incidents happened in Surrey.

The DWP said it issues more than 80,000,000 mail notifications each year and the number of Postal Security Incidents recorded equates to 0.00027%.

Data Breach Claims UK is a service dedicated to offering guidance and support to people who have been emotionally or financially affected by a personal data breach.