A letter arrives from “Cardholder Services” at P.O. Box 551617, Jacksonville, Florida 32255. No bank name appears anywhere. No specific card mentioned. Just a notice about an address change or account verification.
The letter is legitimate. P.O. Box 551617 in Jacksonville serves as U.S. Bank’s customer service address for prepaid benefit cards across more than 17 states. But the generic format has triggered confusion since 2020, when unemployment fraud surged and thousands of Americans received these notices for cards they never requested.
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What P.O. Box 551617 Jacksonville Actually Is
U.S. Bank operates prepaid card programs for state agencies nationwide. The Jacksonville address handles correspondence for three main card types:
ReliaCard: Distributed by state unemployment offices in Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Focus Card: Issued by employers as payroll cards for direct deposit alternatives.
Other benefit cards: Various state programs including child support payments and provider reimbursements.
State agencies contract with U.S. Bank to distribute benefit payments electronically. Instead of paper checks, recipients get Visa or Mastercard prepaid debit cards loaded with their funds.
Why Legitimate Letters Triggered Scam Alerts
In May 2020, cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs investigated complaints flooding consumer protection sites. Recipients reported receiving vague letters from Cardholder Services that mentioned address changes but provided no identifying information about which bank or card was involved.
U.S. Bank confirmed to Krebs the letters were authentic identity verification notices. The bank designed them with minimal detail to protect cardholder privacy. When someone files for unemployment benefits and previously held a ReliaCard years earlier, U.S. Bank can reactivate that old card. The verification letters confirm the address on file matches the cardholder’s current location.
The privacy protection backfired. Without clear branding or card details, even security professionals dismissed the letters as phishing attempts.
When These Letters Signal Real Fraud
The confusion masks a serious problem. Many people received Cardholder Services letters because criminals filed fraudulent unemployment claims using stolen identities.
How unemployment fraud works:
Thieves obtain Social Security numbers and personal information through data breaches. They file unemployment claims with state agencies using victims’ identities. The state approves the claim and directs U.S. Bank to issue a ReliaCard. The card gets mailed to the victim’s address or a location controlled by the fraudster.
Colorado’s Department of Labor reports identity theft remains a significant issue in unemployment systems. Victims often discover the fraud only after receiving either an unexpected ReliaCard or a generic verification letter from Jacksonville.
The Federal Trade Commission documented thousands of unemployment fraud cases between 2020 and 2022. Many victims received 1099 tax forms for benefits they never collected, forcing them to prove the income wasn’t theirs.
How to Verify Your Letter Is Legitimate
Check whether you have any connection to U.S. Bank prepaid cards. This includes current unemployment benefits, old ReliaCards from previous unemployment periods, payroll cards from your employer, or benefit cards from state agencies.
Contact U.S. Bank through verified channels only. State unemployment offices list official ReliaCard customer service numbers on their websites:
- General ReliaCard support: 855-282-6161
- Focus Card inquiries: 877-474-0010
- State-specific numbers available through Department of Labor websites
Call the verified number and provide the reference number from your letter. Customer service can confirm whether the correspondence came from U.S. Bank and explain what triggered it.
Never call phone numbers printed directly on questionable letters. Scammers do send fake notices mimicking U.S. Bank’s format. Always verify through independent sources.
Review your credit reports for accounts you didn’t open. AnnualCreditReport.com provides free reports from all three bureaus.
If Someone Filed for Unemployment Using Your Information
You received a ReliaCard but never applied for benefits. Someone used your Social Security number to file a fraudulent claim.
Immediate steps:
Contact your state unemployment office through their fraud reporting portal. Most states maintain dedicated systems for identity theft reports. Filing this report prevents the fraudulent income from appearing on your tax records.
Call U.S. Bank at the ReliaCard fraud line to deactivate the card. The bank maintains a specific form for reporting cards received in error, preventing funds from being accessed.
Place a fraud alert with Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion. One call triggers alerts across all three bureaus. Consider a credit freeze for stronger protection.
File an identity theft report at IdentityTheft.gov. The FTC provides a recovery plan and official documentation useful for disputing fraudulent accounts.
Document everything. Save copies of the ReliaCard, letters from Cardholder Services, fraud reports filed, and all correspondence with state agencies and U.S. Bank.
Some states require victims to complete additional paperwork confirming they didn’t receive unemployment benefits. This prevents tax complications when 1099-G forms get issued.
The Difference Between Legitimate Notices and Scams
Authentic letters from P.O. Box 551617 Jacksonville contain:
- A reference number (not a 16-digit card number)
- Generic language about address verification or account activity
- No phone number, or only a general customer service line
- No request for personal information by mail
The letters won’t ask you to:
- Confirm your Social Security number by mail
- Provide bank account details
- Click links or scan QR codes
- Send money or purchase gift cards
Real U.S. Bank correspondence directs recipients to call customer service if they have questions. Scam letters create urgency and demand immediate action through methods that bypass official channels.
What This Means for Card Recipients
Letters from Cardholder Services at the Jacksonville Florida 32255 address come from U.S. Bank’s prepaid card division. The correspondence is legitimate, but context matters.
If you currently receive unemployment benefits or enrolled in a payroll card program, the letter likely confirms routine account maintenance. If you have no active benefit cards and didn’t apply for unemployment, the notice may indicate identity theft.
Verification takes one phone call to your state’s unemployment office or U.S. Bank’s customer service line using numbers published on official government websites. That call determines whether the letter represents normal bank activity or fraudulent use of your personal information.
The generic format will continue confusing recipients until U.S. Bank adds clearer identification to its mailings. Until then, verify everything through independent sources before responding to any correspondence from the Jacksonville address.
