Christchurch residents on job seeker benefits have had their personal emails exposed in a data breach.

At 1:13 PM, the Papanui Work and Income Employment Centre mistakenly revealed the email details of hundreds of people while sending out an invitation for a job fair event at Northlands Mall.

It stated, “Bring copies of your CVs, dress your best, and be prepared to connect with hiring managers eager to meet potential candidates like you.”

Numerous affected parties immediately contacted Chris Lynch Media, expressing their alarm over the data breach.

Subsequent correspondence by the Ministry of Social Development was also forwarded to Chris Lynch Media owning up to their error.

They wrote to affected parties saying “an email was mistakenly sent to you at 1.13pm today containing sensitive information not intended for sharing.

“We kindly request that you delete this email immediately and refrain from sharing its contents with others.

 “Your prompt attention to this matter is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your understanding, we apologise for this error. Sincerely, Connected team.”

One of the recipients of the original email responded to everyone on the list ”YOU ARE ALL DOLL BLUDGERS!”

Ministry of Social Development Regional Commissioner Blair McKenzie said “we emailed jobseekers recently to encourage them to come an employment expo we are organising in Christchurch.

 “Due to an error the emails were not blind copied.

“We have contacted all those who received the email and asked them to delete the email and refrain from sharing them.

 “We apologise for this error.   We have reviewed how this happened to ensure this does not occur again

 “Getting people into work is a key priority for MSD.

“We are committed to helping people find and sustain work and keen to get as many people as we could to attend to meet prospective employers” McKenzie said.