Letter sent to my address not mine

[malibu40670]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? OHIO

Hello, not sure if this is the right category for this question but here goes. I just recevied a letter with a company name that has a debt, but using my address. Should I contact the number on the letter or just disregard this letter altogether ? I have never heard of any of the names or anything within this letter.

here is the letter copied word for word :

Blue Light, lnc
************ < had my address under company name
************

RE: Borrower: Blue Light, Inc
Borrower Number(s): ******** ( I removed the case number)
Principal Balance(s) Purchased:$ 35013.56

Dear Borrower(s),
On Decembe23, 2009.ACQUIRED CAPITAL I, L.P. purchased your loan from NATIONAL CITY & PNC. The above referenced loan(s) was/were included in this portfolio. According to the records we received, the total outstanding principal balance(s) was/were $35013.56, plus all the accrued unpaid interest, and any other charges, if applicable. Please let us know if you dispute the validity of the debt or any portion thereof. Please forward all future payments and/or correspondence to the following address:

ACQUIRED CAPITOL I, L.P.
P.O. Box ****
************
Attention: *********
(281) *******
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS A POSSIBLE SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT (75%)
DISCOUNT OF THIS DEBT, PLEASE CONTACT THE ABOVE IMMEDIATELY. Depending on your
individuals situation, we may be able to work with you on more favorable payment terms.What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?

 

[Country Living]

You opened mail that was not addressed to you instead of returning it to sender with an "addressee unknown"?

 

[Artemis_ofthe_Hunt]

You opened mail that was not addressed to you instead of returning it to sender with an "addressee unknown"?

Wow... OP could face some pretty serious charges here! Its a FEDERAL OFFENSE to open mail not addressed to you.

 

[malibu40670]

Well once again people on a forum end up replying with idiotic answers instead of addressing what the person asked.

It was addressed to my house. And in these times, with all the identity theft and such, I'm gonna open it to make sure that my name or social isnt somehow involved. So now that I had to explain again ( i guess asking the first time isnt good enough) Should I contact the party in texas to remove my addy from this, return the letter, or ignore it ?

 

[Artemis_ofthe_Hunt]

Well once again people on a forum end up replying with idiotic answers instead of addressing what the person asked.

It was addressed to my house. And in these times, with all the identity theft and such, I'm gonna open it to make sure that my name or social isnt somehow involved. So now that I had to explain again ( i guess asking the first time isnt good enough) Should I contact the party in texas to remove my addy from this, return the letter, or ignore it ?

If you're going to continue opening mail that isn't addressed to you, you could face federal charges! You keep it up though ... we're the idiots who you asked help from

LEGALLY you should have NOT opened the letter, wrote "addressee unknown" or "not at this address" on the envelope and given back to the postmaster or your carrier.

Straight from USPS:

For other misdelivered mail items (such as letters):

o If the mailpiece is delivered to the wrong location:

§ Don't erase or mark over the information, or write any type of endorsement on the mailpiece.

§ Place the item back in the mailbox or hand the item back to your mailperson.

o If the mailpiece is delivered to the correct location but the recipient on the mailpiece does not reside at the address:

§ Write " Not at this address" on mailpiece.

§ Don't erase or mark over the address.

§ Provide the mailpiece to your mailperson or drop into a Collection Box receptacle.


Destroying mail that was not intended for you may be prohibited by US laws.

o Willfully destroying mail is an act that may be punishable by the Federal Government.

o If you have any questions about the legality of doing this, please contact your local law enforcement.

 

[racer72]

Well once again people on a forum end up replying with idiotic answers instead of addressing what the person asked.

It was addressed to my house. And in these times, with all the identity theft and such, I'm gonna open it to make sure that my name or social isnt somehow involved. So now that I had to explain again ( i guess asking the first time isnt good enough) Should I contact the party in texas to remove my addy from this, return the letter, or ignore it ?

You received the correct legal advice. Return the letter to the sender as addressee unknown and hope they don't contact the postal service and file charges against you. If they do, you are the one that is going to be the idiot.

 

[justalayman]

not that it makes it legal but I often open all the mail that comes to my house without checking the addressee. I simply take all the envelopes and the letter opener and viola` I have opened mail. Since it is me and my wife here and she doesn't care if I open her mail, I rarely check the addressee.

and yes, I have opened a neighbors errantly delivered mail before.





The post office may not take the letter now that it has been opened as "addressee unkown". It would be too easy of a scam to mail mail without paying postage doing that so:

tape the thing up, put a stamp on it and a sticky label with the addressers name and address as the addressee and drop it in the mail.

Not due to what I do but in general, I doubt there will be legal repercussions to the OP. It's just not that big of a deal in the big picture of mail service for a person to open another's mail in such a situation.

 

[swalsh411]

Unless it bears the name of the prior occupant of my home, whom I know how to contact, I'm going to open all mail that is addressed to my house. I'm not taking the chance that somebody is using my address in some sort of scam. I guess I will just take the risk then of postal inspectors showing up one day with a search warrant.

To the people warning the poster that they might be facing Federal charges.... what planet are you living on? Can you cite a single case of an individual being charged with a crime for opening a piece of mail addressed to his house but to another person?

 

[racer72]

Unless it bears the name of the prior occupant of my home, whom I know how to contact, I'm going to open all mail that is addressed to my house. I'm not taking the chance that somebody is using my address in some sort of scam. I guess I will just take the risk then of postal inspectors showing up one day with a search warrant.

To the people warning the poster that they might be facing Federal charges.... what planet are you living on? Can you cite a single case of an individual being charged with a crime for opening a piece of mail addressed to his house but to another person?

So fine, you admit to breaking federal laws. From a federal court website:

Is opening other peoples' mail a crime?

•It is all about intent. If you opened in good faith...maybe thought it was yours, etc...if you did it out of curiosity, spite, or greed...yes it is a felony offense.

•Opening someone else's mail is a crime. However, parents can open their kids' mail.

•It is a Federal crime and up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine to hide keep or open others peoples mail without permission if you are reported you will want to return the mail to the post office.

•It is a Federal Offense. Even the person who delivery your mail and keeps any mail or ceases to deliver that mail and keeps it can lose their job, fine or put in prison. If an envelope is addressed to two people then either of those two people have the right to open that mail.

And yes, people are prosecuted. My BIL is a postmaster and he deals with this 2 or 3 times a month and has to testify in court at least once a month. Just because the mail has your address on it does not mean it belongs to you.

 

[Country Living]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? OHIO

Hello, not sure if this is the right category for this question but here goes. I just recevied a letter with a company name that has a debt, but using my address. Should I contact the number on the letter or just disregard this letter altogether ? I have never heard of any of the names or anything within this letter.

here is the letter copied word for word :

Blue Light, lnc
************ < had my address under company name
************

RE: Borrower: Blue Light, Inc
Borrower Number(s): ******** ( I removed the case number)
Principal Balance(s) Purchased:$ 35013.56

Dear Borrower(s),
On Decembe23, 2009.ACQUIRED CAPITAL I, L.P. purchased your loan from NATIONAL CITY & PNC. The above referenced loan(s) was/were included in this portfolio. According to the records we received, the total outstanding principal balance(s) was/were $35013.56, plus all the accrued unpaid interest, and any other charges, if applicable. Please let us know if you dispute the validity of the debt or any portion thereof. Please forward all future payments and/or correspondence to the following address:

ACQUIRED CAPITOL I, L.P.
P.O. Box 1068
Stafford, Texas 77497-1608
Attention: Brad Hrebenar
(281) 265-5328

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS A POSSIBLE SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT (75%)
DISCOUNT OF THIS DEBT, PLEASE CONTACT THE ABOVE IMMEDIATELY. Depending on your
individuals situation, we may be able to work with you on more favorable payment terms.What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?

I'm curious why you think it was appropriate to publish non-public information (company name, amount of debt, terms from collection agency, etc.) on a public board. You could have simply said you received and opened something that was not addressed to you.

 

[Artemis_ofthe_Hunt]

I'm curious why you think it was appropriate to publish non-public information (company name, amount of debt, terms from collection agency, etc.) on a public board. You could have simply said you received and opened something that was not addressed to you.

Wonder what the collector in Texas would think of this posting? Or the debtor himself?

 

[Zigner]

In my business, I have, in the past, been in similar situations (both as the opener and the openee). I've had mail sent to me from an unknown company and, when I opened it, it's had a note stating "Opened in error" (or something to that effect). I have done the same when mail to some other company has been opened in error by me.

Put the mail in to another envelope and send it back to the sender with a note "Opened in error - addressee not known". (I usually don't advise people to lie, but in this case, no harm/no foul).

 

[malibu40670]

Not one person has focused on my question. The whole point of my post is wondering if I should do anything about my address being attached to a company that has debt with the agency out of Texas. Typical idiots arguing online like they are on Jerry Springer.

Does anyone have advice on if I should contact the agency out of texas and let them know that the company with the debt is using my address or not ? Sending it back via the post office still isnt letting the agency know that my address isnt the company. Should I call the agency from texas or not ? Amazing how people want to talk about everything except the question I ask.

 

[TinkerBelleLuvr]

Nothing said that you cannot send a note independent of this one that states that so-and-so does NOT reside at this address. I tend to send one snail mail and one certified.

 

[Zigner]

Not one person has focused on my question. The whole point of my post is wondering if I should do anything about my address being attached to a company that has debt with the agency out of Texas. Typical idiots arguing online like they are on Jerry Springer.

Does anyone have advice on if I should contact the agency out of texas and let them know that the company with the debt is using my address or not ? Sending it back via the post office still isnt letting the agency know that my address isnt the company. Should I call the agency from texas or not ? Amazing how people want to talk about everything except the question I ask.

Did you even bother READING my reply?


Put the mail in to another envelope and send it back to the sender with a note "Opened in error - addressee not known".