Disturbing Snail Mail

[Phishfry]

I work at a company with 200 employees that recently terminated 8 higher level people including shop foreman. Maybe shock and awe. Unknown why.

My problem:
Yesterday I receive my mail and included is a letter with another persons name on it, but correct address. Noticing that "Discovery Benefits" is the return address I become concerned as I carry no debt or credit cards. With all the identity fraud these days I open it.

The mailing is from Discovery Benefits and it is concerning COBRA coverage. Here is the second paragraph:
On 3/24/2017 you experienced an event of a/an Termination which constitutes a qualifying event under the xxxx Shipyard Inc. group health plan....

That is my employer. I did not get terminated and really wonder what the heck.
How did a private company get my address as someone who was terminated?
The name on the mailing seemed fictitious -"Harley Pace" No person named that exists in Virginia or at my workplace.

I have to wonder if the CORBA reporting system got hacked or if someone in Personnel Dept. made a mistake.

Maybe I was to be fired and they changed their mind at the last minute?

Have you any advice for approaching this? I am going to personnel first thing, but if I was on a termination list they will probably not acknowledge it. Maybe I should inquire about their COBRA procedures as something leaked there I think. We have a security department but they are physical only and would be clueless. This really does not rise to a criminal level but it concerns me. These same people have my bank account on file for direct deposit.

I am worried about credit reporting as well. Who knows what is going on here. Am I over-reacting?
Thanks for any advice.

 

[Deleted member 9563]

This is certainly a concern in this situation. In any other it wouldn't be because this phrase is not English.

an event of a/an Termination

Perhaps your company does not employ native speakers, but if it does then that letter is not from them. It is simply impossible to come up with that otherwise since it's clearly not a typo. You gotta wonder how this works though. Looks a lot like normal e-mail spam where one can't figure out the angle - except in snail mail world. Good luck.

 

[Phishfry]

I have found out that "Discovery Benefits" handles COBRA for companies with departed employees. . So this would explain some. Somehow they got my address though and the termination date lines up with when our terminations happened. So either Personnel dept or Discovery screwup although Discovery would not have my address unless I was terminated. We do no other business with them(that I know of).


COBRA= Continued health care benefits when terminated with you paying 100 percent cost of policy.