Got letter telling me he was dead and had to get doctor’s note to prove I’m not: ex-councillor sees GP to confirm he’s still alive after ‘getting strange message from government’
- Mark Cusack, 48, claims to have a letter informing him that he is dead
- Former Hungerford councilor said he had to get a doctor’s note
A former councilor says he received the “shock of his life” when he received a letter informing him that he was dead.
Mark Cusack, 48, claims an ominous letter from the government left him without a National Insurance number and no possible way to pay your council tax bill.
He says he was forced to get a note from his GP to confirm that he was, in fact, alive.
Mr Cusack, from Hungerford, Berkshire, who lives alone with his dog Puggles, says the local council was even informed of his ‘death’.
Even though he found the ‘funny side’ of the situation, he still reported the matter to Action Fraud, having previously had a problem with identity theft.
Mark Cusack (with Puggles) said he received a letter informing him he was dead, leaving him without a National Insurance number
Mr Cusack said of his doctor: “She joked that you should consider cashing in on any life insurance you may have.”
He said: ‘The current situation may seem like a farce, but it has many ramifications.
“I really wouldn’t want anyone else to be faced with a situation where they suddenly ‘pass away,’ especially someone with a health condition or who is in a vulnerable situation.”
“Unfortunately, reversing everything is not as simple as making a phone call or writing a letter.”
The former councilman said he immediately contacted his doctor regarding the situation, with the surgery writing that Mr. Cusack “is alive.”
Hungerford Surgery’s letterhead reads: ‘I am writing as general practitioner to the gentleman mentioned above.
“I can confirm that I checked with him in person today and that he is alive.”
Mr Cusack said of his doctor: “She joked that you should consider cashing in on any life insurance you may have.”
- An earlier version of this article reported on claims originally made in the local press that the DWP sent Mark Cusack a letter informing him that he was dead. The agency that provided the information has since been contacted to say that the letter was not in fact from the DWP, and the article has been amended to reflect this.
