However, since this is a federal law, some individual states outline their own specific penalties. The law enables a fine and up to five years in jail for anyone who “buys, receives, or conceals, or unlawfully has in his possession” any piece of mail that isn’t theirs. In United States law, the handling of mail is addressed in U.S. Did you know that tossing out someone else’s mail is a felony? Despite efforts by the USPS® to reduce undeliverable mail, it still costs the postal service $1.5 billion every year. According to a recent survey that we conducted,* 55-59% of movers regularly receive mail addressed to previous residents of their home. But for every person who intentionally mishandles mail and makes headlines, there are many more who accidentally break the law just by failing to properly forward the wrong address mail they receive.Ī main cause of mail being delivered to the wrong address is former owners or tenants who haven’t properly updated their information. In 2018, a postal worker received felony and misdemeanor charges for failing to deliver thousands of pieces of mail that he later dumped in a ravine. In fact, seven people were arrested in Georgia for stealing mail and cashing the checks they found. Most people receive a number of personal and confidential documents through the mail that can be used to steal their identity. There’s a reason that the federal government makes tampering with mail illegal.
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