US Post Office

[ddc99]

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

I recently received a tax form in my locked PO Box that had clearly been ripped open and viewed. This form contains my full name, address, and full social security number. I have taken all possible steps to avoid subsequent identity theft, including paying a monthly fee for monitoring. I am curious as to my options for holding the USPS accountable for their employee criminal activity and my rights to compensation should this result in financial problems for me in the future. I bought a PO Box precisely to have secure mail delivery, but this has clearly failed. All contact I have made with USPS supervisors and investigators has so far proven useless, and I've been left with the feeling that they really don't care and that this criminal activity, which is quite serious from my understanding, is unable to be stopped.

 

[swalsh411]

Calm down. Mail does get mangled or maybe the W-2 wasn't stuffed in the envelope properly by your employer so they had to open it to deliver it. You should be thankful because now you have your W-2 and can do your taxes.

There is no way you could prove it was opened with malicious intent. The post office is certainly not going to be liable for potential identity theft every time a piece of mail gets damaged or they have to open it. You didn't win the lawsuit lottery.

Your complaint to the USPS hasn't gone anywhere because you accusations are completely baseless.

 

[Isis1]

Calm down. Mail does get mangled or maybe the W-2 wasn't stuffed in the envelope properly by your employer so they had to open it to deliver it. You should be thankful because now you have your W-2 and can do your taxes.

There is no way you could prove it was opened with malicious intent. The post office is certainly not going to be liable for potential identity theft every time a piece of mail gets damaged or they have to open it. You didn't win the lawsuit lottery.

Your complaint to the USPS hasn't gone anywhere because you accusations are completely baseless.

ditto!

i have the same insurance company as my neighbor. i accidently opened it. then realized it wasn't mine, walked it back to his house. accidents happen. a thief, would have not put it back where it was supposed to go.

check keep a check on your credit usage. or flag it. this isn't serious.

 

[ddc99]

The envelope contained a sealed fold that had a rip style perforated edge. This was completely opened and duplicate forms were missing from the inside. It is ridiculous to imply that this could have been done with good intentions. I pay for a PO Box to keep my mail secure, so I have a right to be upset when a postal employee breaks the law and a right to demand that an investigation take place. I believe the law is on my side:
TITLE 18--CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE

PART I--CRIMES

CHAPTER 83--POSTAL SERVICE


Sec. 1703. Delay or destruction of mail or newspapers

(a) Whoever, being a Postal Service officer or employee, unlawfully
secretes, destroys, detains, delays, or opens any letter, postal card,
package, bag, or mail entrusted to him or which shall come into his
possession, and which was intended to be conveyed by mail, or carried or
delivered by any carrier or other employee of the Postal Service, or
forwarded through or delivered from any post office or station thereof
established by authority of the Postmaster General or the Postal
Service, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than
five years, or both.

 

[swalsh411]

OK so you made a complaint and they are investigating. These things take time. What further action do you think is warranted at this point? Do you want every employee in your post office to be imprisoned?

If somebody had wanted to illegally obtain a copy of your W-2 they would have just stolen the entire thing. It makes zero sense to mangle the envelope, take out one copy, and deliver the rest.

 

[HappyWanderer]

Super. The people who enforce the crime are caring as much as they care, there is nothing you can do to force them to care more.

Also, you cannot sue the post office over this. Period. By federal statute.

So, you can get more and more upset about something you are powerless to change, or you can move on. Maybe get lifelock or some other identity protection service.

 

[ddc99]

First of all, some advise for the advise givers. "Calm down" is the worst thing you can tell someone who is upset. Second, my impetus for posting in this forum was for advise as to approaches I could take for a given situation that I may not have thought of myself. This in no way implies that I am "getting more and more upset," I'm simply a pro-active person exploring my options. Wise-ass comments such as "Do you want every employee in your post office to be imprisoned?" are not helpful under any circumstance, and do a serious disservice to an otherwise useful forum website. As for accusations being baseless, a post office employee has absolutely no reason to open a sealed envelope, period. If there were security concerns, a more formal procedure would be followed than tossing the envelope in question into a PO Box with missing contents.
This is my first experience with FreeAdvise, I don't think I will be returning. The anonymity of the internet has struck again by removing all semblance of civility, instead replacing it with faceless attacks against someone asking a question.

 

[HappyWanderer]

So, you're not upset?

I apologize for giving you your legal remedies and reading your posts as though you were upset.

You cannot make the postal service prosecute. You cannot make them investigate to any greater level. You cannot sue them for anything related to prosecution, investigation, the event itself or any loss you may or may not suffer per federal statute.

(Thank you for telling me how to properly tell people who are not upset the legal information they need to know.)

 

[Zigner]

Incredible

First of all, some advise for the advise givers. "Calm down" is the worst thing you can tell someone who is upset. Second, my impetus for posting in this forum was for advise as to approaches I could take for a given situation that I may not have thought of myself. This in no way implies that I am "getting more and more upset," I'm simply a pro-active person exploring my options. Wise-ass comments such as "Do you want every employee in your post office to be imprisoned?" are not helpful under any circumstance, and do a serious disservice to an otherwise useful forum website. As for accusations being baseless, a post office employee has absolutely no reason to open a sealed envelope, period. If there were security concerns, a more formal procedure would be followed than tossing the envelope in question into a PO Box with missing contents.
This is my first experience with FreeAdvise, I don't think I will be returning. The anonymity of the internet has struck again by removing all semblance of civility, instead replacing it with faceless attacks against someone asking a question.

 

[LeeHarveyBlotto]

Feel free to pay a lawyer to tell you what you refuse to believe here.