Is it illegal to shred someone's else's mail that is continually sent to your address?
The mail man keeps putting some one else's mail in my box. Even if I mark it wrong address and wrong person, it still keeps coming. I have decided to shred it. My mother told me that this may be illegal--just wondering if it is.
Answers:
Yes, it is illegal to shred someone's mail that comes to your house by mistake, even if you don't read it. It is called mail tampering and it is a federal crime (not sure it's a felony as one of the other answers stated.). The addressee may also have a claim against you for destruction of property (state claim). You need to go to the post office and inform them that you are the legal resident/owner of the address in question (they will ask for proof) and thereafter they will place a hold on the mail that is addressed to the specific person/persons in question.
By writing wrong address on the mail, all that is happening is that the articles of mail are beening returned to the sender.
By the way, the reason it is a crime is that a person is responsible for reading their mail (that is a person is constructively charged with knowledge of mail they have received, such as legal notices). If you shred that person's mail, without it being returned to sender, the recepient is held to have constructive knowledge of what was in that mail even though it was not delivered to them. So, if they miss legal deadlines they can still be held accountable. And if they incur any damages, they can in turn sue you to recupe those damages.
I don't know if it is or not...but I do it. I have lived in my house for almost two years and I still get mail from like the last 4 ppl who lived here before me...if it is against the law...well who is going to tell?
Yes, that is illegal.
YES. OMG. What are you doing? Are you kidding me?
It isn't the person's fault that the mailman keeps delivering it. Why don't you contact the post office and complain first before you destroy the other person's mail?
Just take it to the post office hand to the clerk and explain that you are getting this mail to a party that doesn't live at your address and you don't know them. You'd be a lot safer that way , shredding other peoples mail is against the law, no read , no shredding, stay safe.
Technically, it is illegal to open an envelope addressed to someone else, but i have never heard anything about it being illegal to shred it. It isnt your responsiblity if the mail is continuously sent to your house after you notified the post office. So if you have done this, and you still keep getting someone elses mail, well, its completely the other persons and the post offices fault.
Yes. I believe it is a felony. Just mark it 'return', put it back in your box and eventually it'll stop coming. If possible, contact the businesses that are sending you mail and let them know there person they are trying to reach no longer lives there. Sometimes it can take a while but it's really uncool (and illegal as hell) to destroy someone else's mail.
I take it you believe all your mail is being delivered to your new address. Suppose the person at one of your former addresses receives a letter saying there is $400 bank account that escheated to the state because of inactivity? Shred, shred, shred, eh?
You can do what you want with 3rd class mail, or advertising. shredding first class mail that isn't addressed to you is a criminal act. If it is decided that not returning the mail that isn' yours is theft, in the US it is a Federal Felony and upon conviction each offense may be punishable by a fine up to $250,000 and imprisonment up to five years.
The mail you shred could be someone's investment or government benefit information, or information regarding very important appointments. Most of this mail could be returned to sender.
If the dealer fixing your car delivered it to my house instead of yours, and the paperwork had my address on it, would it be okay it I poured gas on it and burned it?
Yes, It's illegal because the states have laws on opening someones else mail even if it's in someones else mail box.
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