checks

[achooloco]

so i moved to this house that i'm sure in the past few years has had a number of residents. some businesses, some just regular people. thing is that they never forwarded their addresses and i'm still getting mail for them. i wrote on the first few letters (for a couple months really) "return to sender; does not live here" etc. still kept getting mail. so i need help.

1. post office was no help. said to write that stuff and it would stop but it hasn't. how do i stop it? i got tired of getting all this mail so i started throwing it away, it aint for me.

2. even though i was throwing all the mail away, I didnt open the mail but i did take note if it looked important (the general visa/amex/credit card applications versus IRS IMPORTANT DATED MATERIALS).

a couple weeks ago, say the second week of december, i noticed 2 official letters. really the first two important ones I had seen since i moved in (about 5 months ago). both to different prior residents/groups. i opened them and it turns out to be checks. substantial ones actually. i kind of freaked cause i dont want to get prosecuted or anything but my first instinct was to google the groups (both non-profits so i really want to give them their dough). nothing online or the phonebook. one i couldnt find at all, and the other's last address is my current address, hell i dont even know if they even still exist as entities. i want them to have their money and i want to stop receiving their mail. thanks in advance for the replies. if it helps, the checks were from the city of austin and the groups are more arts related, social groups. thanks.

 

[Bookman]

Contact the sender.

 

[homer]

call the sender claiming you "opened by mistake; out of habit, without really looking at the addressee".

btw, no one is going to prosecute you for opening mail delivered to your own home, even if it's the law.

 

[achooloco]

cool, i'll contact the city of Austin. really annoying getting all this mail, over half of my daily mail isn't even for me. but at least these people will get their dough. thanks!

 

[Sangre Naranjada]

Sounds like the people are running a non-profit scam. I'd send the money back to the people who wrote the checks and tell them to spend it more wisely.

 

[UTinBigD]

I have no idea if it is legal (probably not) but you could fill out one of those I'm moving cards at the post office for both of the previous residents and just put in a fake address. The mail would probably just get sent back to originator.

It does sometimes take a long time. we used to just collect all the mail for the previous owners every week and then call them come and pick it up. Finally everything started getting forwarded. But if you cannot even contact the previous people then, not sure what to do.