I've opened someone else's mail and it's serious....

[Pepperwand]

Just after a bit of advice. A letter came through the door today, right address but the name wasn't us our the previous owners of the house. It was however, sort of similar to my maiden name but a male. So for example if my name was Michelle Henderson this was for Malcolm Hutchinson (just a made up example).

I occasionally enter an alias name if I'm signing myself up to something to avoid junk mail so thought it could be something I'd called myself to a random company in the past and opened the letter.

It is a serious letter detailing a fine in relation to "Sex offenders register failure to comply with notification requirements". It mentions bailiffs/enforcement if this isn't paid.

Obviously this is really bad and now I have the name of the person. I don't want to get in shit for opening such a letter but I don't want bailiffs turning up at my door thinking he lives here!

Do I call them and fess up? Do I put it back in the post marked as wrong address? Help!

My house has the same name as a local hospice, which is 30 miles away. I had an appointment letter delivered for a lady in the hospice - I didn't even read the name on the letter (I've lived here for 25 years, in my defence). When I realised what it was, and what I'd done, I rang the number on the letter and explained, so they could send an appointment letter to the correct address (the rest of the address was right, someone at the post office had just seen the name of the house and piled it in with my mail).

It happens. But I agree with the checking it's not some kind of massive phone bill charge scam first.

Just shred it. End of. You should never make contact with anyone from unsolicited post or emails and certainly not let them have any of your peronal details.

In the unlikely event of anyone coming to your door you have your own ID which proves you are not that person.

Ring them, it happens a lot (for different reasons) I called mental health services because we keep getting mail at work for someone who doesn't live there, I explained and they said they would trace them another way (treatment subject to a court order according to letter)

Ps there's no legal requirement to forward mail and it's not illegal to open mail addressed to someone else if it comes through your door.

There would be no bailiff for this type of thing. It sounds like a scam. Report to your local police so that they can confirm but I wouldn't worry about it.

DO NOT PHONE THE NUMBER ON THE LETTER OR GO ON A WEBSITE MENTIONED IN THE LETTER... this is likely to be the actual scam... a ridiculously expensive phone call or a virus on your computer.

from your description, I wondered if it was a blackmail/malicious letter?

Are you sure it really came from a genuine bailiff?

I have often opened letters in error, husband and I are not bothered about who opens what. Just send it back with the usual not known at this address, opened in error.

Thanks all. It's a letter from a magistrates court and looks official but I'll Google to check it's not a scam. Then I'll give them a call.

Check the telephone number online, on a site like ‘who called me’. See if it comes up as a fraudulent line. Don’t worry about the fact you opened the letter as, contrary to the panic on here, it’s not actually against the law.

As someone else suggested, ring the number and explain or you could return the letter with a covering explanatory note to the sender - I would do the latter, it's easiest.

Don't worry, such things do happen. It's important that the sender knows the person doesn't live at your address so do it quickly.

Don’t phone just reseal it and write no known at the address, I wouldn’t engage with anyone on the phone, or internet about it, just repost.

Google the number for the magistrate court and phone that number, not the number on the letter.

I wouldn't worry about opening it as I always open whatever the postman brings without ever checking the name and I'd imagine most people do similar

That screams scam to me.

Good advice from Mollpop.

We've been in a similar position. Previous occupants of our house went to prison for fraud related charges and we were getting constant letters through our doors re: debt collection (which was clear from the envelope).

We didn't open them and returned to sender every time, however one day we came home to bailiffs from a company who didn't get the memo!

After that we admittedly opened a letter from a company that sent several even after the return to sender. We called them to explain the previous occupants no longer lived there, and were in prison. I felt awful for eventually opening the envelope but couldn't go on getting them and they weren't paying attention when letters were sent back not at this address.

I really don’t get the angst about opening post not addressed to you , I very often don’t even look at the envelope I just open stuff .

It sounds very odd and a confidentiality breach. Do they really put sex offence on an outstanding bill

I'd return it 'not known at this address' on the off chance it's legit. I too think its a scam so I wouldn't call or follow any links.

you know you shouldn't have opened it and once you knew it wasn't for you shouldn't have continued reading it

Not necessarily. Years ago, shortly after moving house, I received a letter addressed to a completely different name at my address which was clearly from a different power company to the one I used. I checked with near neighbours and nobody knew the name so I redirected the letter back. This happened two more times then I received another letter clearly in red ink so I opened it to get a number to phone. The letter said the person would be taken to court if they didn't pay with a short time so I phoned the company. It turned out the letter was for me, for a sum incurred when I changed power providers, but sent to a name with no similarities to mine. The sum involved was about £9.

I think in a similar situation I would open the letter sooner rather than later.

I had a letter a few years back to a combo of my husbands first name and my maiden name. I opened it and it was from a prisoner to his brother telling him to meet him at Birmingham New Street with cocaine and girls on the day of his release!
Luckily I hadn’t torn it open like i usually do and could resell with a bit of tape and put does not live at this address and repost it.
I often think about him and how disappointed he must have been if no one turned up!

There's angst, @Floralnomad, because it's illegal to open someone else's post!

I felt awful for eventually opening the envelope but couldn't go on getting them and they weren't paying attention when letters were sent back not at this address.

I don't think there's any need to feel awful. It is the sender who is in error (and the addressee if they should have told them they don't live there). I've opened post when I've had concerns, in order to contact the sender and point out the data protection issue as much as anything else. Any legitimate sender should be grateful for the help.

@BIWitch - it's not illegal to open someone else's post once delivered to your address, unless specific conditions apply (you have to have dodgy motives basically).

It’s not in these circumstances @BIWitch