Opening other people’s post

[Remainiac]

Builders working outside have just knocked and handed me a letter from HMRC which has been opened and read by a neighbour.
She says that it was put into the wrong box (we have individual locked post boxes, not letterboxes in the door), she assumed it was for her and didn’t realise until she had opened and read it.
It is clearly addressed, and also has my name in very large bold type at the top of the first page - impossible to miss.
Neighbour now knows my NI number, tax code, reference number and that I am due a tax refund.
I’m a bit bemused by the whole thing- why did she carry on reading it as soon as she realised it wasn’t for her? Why did she hand it to the builder with the explanation (which she also wrote on the outside of the envelope).
Would you read someone else’s post?

Unless she has form for prolific fraud I wouldn't worry to much about it, although if it was me I would have just shoved into the correct letter Box and kept schtum

There is nothing you can do, it's another area of law where you think there are protections but there really aren't. A tenant opened and spent Tesco Clubcard vouchers in my name - there was absolutely no recourse whatsoever. You would have to be able to prove the details enclosed in the letter that the neighbour opened resulted in a significant financial loss to you for there ever to be a case to answer.

When I open post I don't read the address at the top of the letter. I read the content; I'd only look up at the address if I was confused. Accident or not it can't be unread.

I just about know my own national insurance number never mind memorising someone else's in one day you will be fine unless she is some master fraudster

First off, I look the name on the envelope and if it's not mine then I don't open it. Maybe this is a result of decades of shared accommodation, but it seems like an obvious thing to do.

I did some growing up in an institution and privacy is incredibly important to me.

First off, I look the name on the envelope and if it's not mine then I don't open it. Maybe this is a result of decades of shared accommodation, but it seems like an obvious thing to do.

I did some growing up in an institution and privacy is incredibly important to me.

I'm almost obsessively private, on my own account and regarding others' privacy. But I now live alone so it doesn't occur to me to look at the name on what comes through the door.

I did it recently because my DH had a letter of a company I used to (until recently) work for. They are a healthcare provider and his new workplace scheme is with them. After 5 years of all letters coming from them being addressed to me it was autopilot, and I didn't look at the front only the back.

I guess if the neighbour is used to getting letters from the HMRC, or was expecting a tax refund of her own she might not have thought to look

I’ve opened post by mistake- pick up a pile of envelopes from the mat and open them. I don’t check them all to see if they have been correctly addressed first.
Can’t think of anything I’d be less interested in than my neighbours NI number and tax code

My point is that she had three options upon realising the letter wasn’t for her:

1. bin it


2. put it into my box


3. bring it round to me personally

She did none of these things. She handed the open letter which she knew contained personal information to a stranger in the street and asked him to give it to me. This man is not “my builder”, he’s doing work on the exterior of a communal building. He doesn’t know me from a bar of soap.

@Remainiac, that's really rude and I'd be very pissed off indeed.

I think you are being a bit paranoid. I would just assume "read it" means started to read it until they realised it wasn't for them.

I think binning your letter would be much worse than returning it and explaining!

Thank you! I just don’t think it’s ok to hand someone’s personal information to a stranger in the street!

You are absolutely right, it's not okay at all and shouldn't be minimised.

We have, on a couple of occasions, had our neighbour accidentally open our post and they've been extremely apologetic for doing so. That was a while back and hasn't happened for a long time.

Opening mail delivered to your address by accident happens. Most people would read it.

Handing it to the builder instead of sticking through your door is a bit strange. Is there a background to your relationship with her where she might have been hesitant to approach you directly?

Nope. Never had anything but a nodding relationship with her.

I opened my neighbours wage slip once, I carried on reading because we both worked in the NHS. Then at the bottom I saw the total and thought well this isnt mine.
I can see I would do the same with something official from HMRC and wouldnt notice til I got to the figures and maybe if the figures were sort of what I was expecting then I wouldn't notice at all.

The first line of the letter is my name in large bold type…