Can you claim compensation when a company sends an email to the incorrect address?

If a company sends an email that is intended for you, but it goes to someone else’s email address then this is a data protection breach if the blame is on the company.

If the company has mixed up email addresses and sent your correspondence to another customer, or perhaps they noted the incorrect email address when you provided it to them; these are the scenarios for breaches.

But, what about compensation claims in these kinds of scenarios?

Data protection compensation claims are often entirely assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Depending on who is to blame for the data protection breach and depending on the type of information that is breached, and to whom it is breached to, can depend on whether we can help or not.

If your private medical information is accidentally sent to the wrong email address, this may be a scenario where you can claim. If you bank details or financial information is sent to the wrong address, there may be a claim to answer.

However, if a letter from a company with no real sensitive or private information is sent to the wrong address then it may not be something we can assist with.

It’s not that it’s not a breach, but the type of information means we may not be able to recover enough in damages for the case to warrant our assistance.

You should definitely still complain, though.

Just recently, the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) fined SSE Energy Limited £1,000.00 for disclosing the personal details of a customer to someone else because they used the wrong email address. The ICO has the power to impose penalties in any event, so you have avenues for redress and punishments for the companies responsible.