• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Man stunned to return home from vacation and receive letter from government saying he's dead

Home> Community> Life

Updated 17:02 20 Mar 2024 GMTPublished 16:43 19 Mar 2024 GMT

Man stunned to return home from vacation and receive letter from government saying he's dead

The unexpected letter stemmed from an unpaid speeding ticket

Niamh Shackleton

Niamh Shackleton

It's expected that after a long vacation you might have a pile of letters waiting for you when you get home.

From credit card bills to random flyers from your local takeout, one of the worst parts of coming back from holiday is the mail that's built up behind your front door.

And Nick Fatouros experienced this himself after returning home to Montreal, Canada, after an extended vacation.

Nick had received a letter from the Ministry of Justice (always a nerve-wracking moment) and opened his mail to discover he was apparently dead.

The 14-page letter was a result of an unpaid speeding fine dating back to 2022, with the government asking for the ticket to paid from Nick's estate.

Advert

He contested the fine at the time, with Nick then going on an extended trip to Costa Rica.

But little do the Ministry of Justice know, Nick is very much alive.

Speaking of his surprise to receive the letter, the 34-year-old told CTV News: "I was laughing. I said, 'Wow, that's news to me'."

Nick Fatouros was surprised to receive the letter.
CTV News

Advert

Nick added that he'd 'completely forgot' about the speeding ticket in question.

Going on to say he was relieved his mother didn't see it, he continued: "If she would open this and I was off on my travels, God forbid, you know, she would say, what's going on?"

As of last weekend Nick was struggling to get hold of a government official to inform them that he wasn't actually dead.

Apparently this kind of mistake is 'really, really rare'.

Advert

Lawyer William Korbatly explained to the news outlet: "Sometimes, it happens to have some mistakes like this, but it's really, really rare."

The letter shared details of Nick's unpaid speeding ticket.
CTV News

Further expressing how important it is for Nick to declare himself alive, he went on: "It won't only affect this traffic ticket, it would affect all of his, you know, succession and everything."

A ministry spokesperson has since explained that the mix-up was a case of 'human error'.

Advert

In a statement to UNILAD, Quebec Government said on the matter: "The Ministry of Justice is committed to providing exemplary service to its customers.

"As with any organization, the Department is not immune to human error.

"The Collector of Fines inadvertently used a template letter used to correspond with an estate rather than the one normally used to communicate with a defendant. We are sorry about the situation. The Department did not declare the defendant dead or notify any other agency of his death.

"Appropriate follow-up will be carried out with the citizen."

Featured Image Credit: CTV News

Topics: Canada, Travel

Niamh Shackleton
Niamh Shackleton

Niamh Shackleton is an experienced journalist for UNILAD, specialising in topics including mental health and showbiz, as well as anything Henry Cavill and cat related. She has previously worked for OK! Magazine, Caters and Kennedy.

X

@niamhshackleton

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

10 hours ago
a day ago
2 days ago
  • 10 hours ago

    Girl who sells her toenails online leaves hosts stunned after sharing 'disgusting' thing customer does with them

    Latiesha Jones spilled the tea on her buyers

    Community
  • a day ago

    DoorDash driver reveals the shocking amount he made after working exhausting 12-hour shift

    DoorDasher Spencer Joyce spoke to UNILAD about his video going viral

    Community
  • a day ago

    Shocking moment nuclear chemist 'ate uranium' to prove it was harmless

    Galen Winsor had years of experience working in the nuclear industry

    Community
  • 2 days ago

    Sleep expert shares three warning signs you may have condition that affects 30 million Americans

    Millions of people with the condition are undiagnosed

    Community
  • Man, 102, holds parade to prove he's still alive after government think he's dead and stop pension