Dad gets letter addressed to 'Daughter Killed In Car Crash'
Recipient actually lived in Illinois, not Daughter Killed In Car Crash
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Mike Seay of Lindenhurst, Illinois received mail from OfficeMax stating that his daughter had died in a car accident – that might sound like a case of mistaken identity, with the message being intended for someone else, but the truth is perhaps even more sinister.
Despite the confusing address line, the letter had actually reached the right person. Seay's 17-year-old daughter had died in a tragic accident the year. But how did OfficeMax know?
In a world where personal data is mined and sold between companies in order to better target customers, it seems Seay was the victim of an already nasty piece of marketing that had taken a turn for the macabre.
"I’m not a big OfficeMax customer. And I wouldn’t have gone there and said anything to anybody there about it [the car crash]. That’s not their business," Seay, who had merely bought some paper from the firm, told Los Angeles Times.
It appears OfficeMax had bought the news of the bereavement from another company, hoping to ensnare Seay with a discount offering.
OfficeMax eventually apologised to Seay, explaining the mailing "is a result of a mailing list rented through a third-party provider", though a customer service assistant had originally refused to believe the existence of the letter.
Seay said he would not be suing OfficeMax, but demanded a written apology as the letter had 'traumatised' his wife.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments