Why would my retired father receive a letter in the mail saying he was dead?

It could have been a mix up with who ever sent it. Perhaps they got the name wrong or something like that. Either way, if it’s a company your parents deal with on a regular basis, they should call them to correct them in case the company is trying to close your dad’s account (or whatever he has with them).

Generally it is the estate’s job to notify relevant people about the death of a person – if you got a letter like this I would be very suspicious.

- Run a credit report on your father, if possible.
– Do what @Seaofclouds said…but be sure to use information you already have, and not information included in the letter.
– Once everything is sorted out, be sure to report the letter to any relevant authority.

Who did the letter come from?

LOL