Someone Receiving Mail at My Address

Updated on January 29, 2013
T.H. asks from Beverly Hills, CA
14 answers

We have owned and lived in this home for over 10 years. We have suddenly started getting mail for someone that we don't know at our address. Its not the previous owner. We live in a pretty small community and I have never heard of this person's name. Do I need to be concerned? Its just from companies like AARP and such. Anything I should do?

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C.B.

answers from San Francisco on

If it's "junk mail" and such they could be using an old mailing list. As long as you're not getting bills, credit cards, bank statements, etc., I wouldn't worry about it.

2 moms found this helpful

More Answers

C.O.

answers from Washington DC on

There are several things you can do.

1. You can go to your post office with the mail and let them know that there is NO ONE there by that name.

2. you can mark the items "return to sender - not at this address"

3. You can throw it out.

If you throw it out - it's possible you will continue to get the mail. If you do 1 or 2, the likelihood of the "spam" stopping is higher. If you choose 3, nothing will change.

3 moms found this helpful
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S.B.

answers from Redding on

All you have to do is write "No Longer at This Address" and let the mailman or maillady take it back.

I live in a very tiny community where I'm on a first name basis with the postmaster and all the postal employees. That's what they have told me to do. They pick the mail back up and were it goes from there, I can't be certain. I lived in my last house for 8 years and got all types of mail for people I'd never even heard of. I just returned it to the post office for them to deal with. I believe they return it to the sender as undeliverable. As far as AARP and other organizations, they get lists of names of people who are turning a certain age at a certain time. They will use the last known address.
All that needs to happen is for them to know the person is not at your address.

No big deal, really. Take it to the post office or put in your mail box as outgoing mail that's marked, "Not at this address".

That's really all you are obligated to do.

Those were the direct instructions given to me by my post office.

Best wishes.

2 moms found this helpful

C.C.

answers from San Francisco on

I wouldn't worry. We still get junk mail for my husband's ex-wife, whom he divorced nearly 15 years ago. We have only lived in this house for 2 years, and she doesn't know where we live, so who even knows how THAT happened. Also, we keep getting court summons for someone who doesn't live here, and evidently hasn't lived here for more than 10 years! I keep returning them to sender.

2 moms found this helpful

L.A.

answers from Austin on

We get strange mail every once in a while. The most recently was a once a month "paycheck enclosed" from an out of state college.

We have lived here almost 25 years and my husbands Grandmother lived here for 10 years before that,

But even sending the envelopes back, attaching notes, emailing the college.. I finally put in a call to the President of the Universities office, they finally stopped sending them.. .

Otherwise I throw them away if they are junk mail..

2 moms found this helpful
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M.C.

answers from Washington DC on

We've had this happen when
1. the college bound kid a few doors down decided to put our address instead of hers on some college info cards.
2. there was a family that lived here before that didn't have kids, that allowed a family to use their address for school district purposes. When they moved and we moved in with a kid, all of a sudden there was a problem with the other kids' family.
3. One day I was working from home, looked outside and happened to notice a car that I didn't recognize parked in front of my house, parked between my yard and the neighbors. It wasn't there when I went to bed the night late the night before... I thought I was a neighbor's car, until that afternoon when someone showed up to the house, asked for Michael C. I don't know him, he doesn't live here. "Well, I am from ABC Repo and I'm here for that white car over there". Fine by me! They hooked up the mystery car and towed it away.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.P.

answers from Portland on

No reason to be concerned. This happens often. If it's junk mail, just toss it because that is what the post office will do if you send it back. If it's first class mail, mark it with something like this person doesn't live here or even just return to sender, no such person at this address.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

They might have data mined the wrong name. I would return to sender. I would only start to worry if it's important stuff and not junk mail.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.P.

answers from Washington DC on

The large amount of junk mail being sent keeps stamp prices very low.

Otherwise, we'd be paying a couple bucks per stamp, like every other developed nation.

1 mom found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

You can toss it - treat it as spam.
AARP in particular has an interesting junk filled database.
I've lived in my current home for 5 years and have been married 24 years.
I haven't lived at my mothers home since 1986.
And yet - my Mom got a letter from them last week - addressed to me - using my maiden name.
If it looks like a bill or something that's not an ad, mark it 'return to sender - no such person at this address' and leave it in your mailbox so the letter carrier can take it back.

1 mom found this helpful
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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I'd write return to sender, no one at this address by this name, then let the mailman return it.

1 mom found this helpful

C.V.

answers from Columbia on

I wouldn't be concerned. Just toss them.

Right before we moved into our new house, we started getting student loan statements at our address for some stranger. So odd, since this person has never lived there, nor is it the name of ANY of the neighbors on the entire street.

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C.N.

answers from Baton Rouge on

Just write on the envelope "No such person" and send it back.

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A.B.

answers from Dallas on

Depends what type of mail it is. If it's just junk mail, no big deal. For me, someone began using my address, phone number and last name (but didn't have my first name). They had checks printed for fake accounts, apparently obtained fake documents, and began writing checks all over DFW. My first knowledge of this was all the mail to this person, followed by the phone calls. It's been going on for more than 5 years now...they change the first name every so often, keep the address the same, and it all starts again. I've even had the police call to inform me that they have arrest warrants for this person. The person does not have any of my identification numbers, so technically, I have no damages (only the businesses do), and I can do little about it. It's a major nuisance because I quit answering or using my landline due to creditor calls for these people. I've sent affidavits of fraud, etc to get rid of some creditors, but the computer ones are almost impossible to get off their lists.

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