Pennsylvania's Department of Aging has notified over 20,000 people that some of their personal information was on a laptop computer stolen earlier in December.

The state-owned notebook was stolen from a home in Johnstown while its owner was attending a funeral on December 5th.

Data on the system included the social security numbers of around 16,000 people.

However, police said that they believed the computer was taken for its street value and that there was no evidence that the information, which was double password protected, has been used inappropriately.

According to the local Indiana Gazette, secretary of aging Nora Dowd Eisenhower said: "In addition to notifying potentially affected clients, we want to reassure them that the department is taking every possible precaution to protect them.

"I offer my sincere apology to our clients, and I pledge we will work to address any concerns that they may have as a result of this unfortunate accident."

The incident is the third in the last four months where state-owned computers containing personal information of Pennsylvanians have been stolen.