Over 200 Richmonders received letters from city about debts that aren’t theirs

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Over 200 Richmond residents were sent letters about debts that aren't theirs, according to the city.

In an April 2 press release, the city of Richmond announced that 226 debt setoff letters were sent to incorrect addresses. A debt setoff letter is a formal attempt to collect a debt owed to a federal or state agency.

These letters contain debtors' names, their addresses, their claim numbers and the amount they owe.

According to the city, this error was the result of a "mailroom mistake" made on Friday, March 28.

“I take protecting privacy incredibly seriously — whether it be digital privacy or the privacy of mailed documents,” said Charles Todd, director of the city's Department of Information Technology, in the press release. “I apologize, and I want Richmonders to know we will review our processes and make the necessary adjustments to prevent this from happening again.”

LAST WEEK: Thousands of Richmond residents received tax rebate checks with wrong names

Per the city, staff have begun the process of notifying those who were impacted. If you are one of those people, you will hear from the city directly.

"Moving forward, mailroom staff will be re-trained on the processes and protocols to make sure mail is delivered to the proper recipient," the city said.

This news comes just eight days after thousands of Richmonders received tax rebate checks with the wrong names.

Anyone with additional questions can contact the city by calling either 311 or 804-646-7000.