Someone is opening our mail

[PinataDonk]

Myself and DH live in a block of 10 flats. Post is put through the communal main door and everyone collects their own.

For a while someone has been occasionally opening letters so when we get them they are torn open with the letter inside. I don't know if post is going missing or not.

I have now come home to an NHS letter for DH about a referral, through our individual door, NOT in an envelope and it's black and white. I think this is a photocopy of the original. Pic attached.

What do I do?

What on earth would be the motive for photocopying NHS letters?

The NHS letter in front of me is B&W. Does it have the folds in the right place? 2 creases?

Hmmm... i am thinking ID theft is the main worry here, and possible bank card/cheque theft... i know someone whose identity was stolen by theft of post and it was a year long nightmare to sort out. I would suggest the following:

1. Collect evidence of ripped envelopes, both pictures of them and the envelopes themselves.

1. Report to the police on 101 and get a reference number, you will need this if it later turns out your identity was stolen.

1. Talk to the building owner - do you use key fobs or actual keys to open the main external door? Could one be provided to the postie? A freeholder also has the right to install cctv, this might be something you could reasonably request if there are repeated instances of crime (opening post of other people is always a crime even if nothing is taken from the envelope)

1. Contact Royal Mail, specifically your local delivery office manager, though you may need to go via the central customer services team. They can check to see whether the "stick everything through the main door" arrangement is what is actually agreed. RM do deliver to separate flats in many cases so it is worth checking. If not, ask what the process would be to get it changed so that all post is delivered to each individual flat. Having evidence of mail being interfered with, a police reference number and support from the building owner might help.

Hope this helps, best of luck!

I don't know whether someone is opening your mail. But I had a badly folded letter from the NHS recently printed in black and white that looked like a photocopy. It had come from the NHS, I'm sure.

Why don't you pop a note to the other 9 flats asking if they have had any problems with their mail recently as you have also been experiencing some issues. If someone in the flats has opened your post accidentally they might let you know.

Where does the post sit once it is through the letterbox? Do you have pigeonholes?

Identity theft - someone is using your letters and information as 'proof' of identity.

Good advice from BobbleHat but I feel obliged to point out that it is a widely held misapprehension that opening other people's post is always a crime. It's not. s84 of the Postal Services Act 2000 refers. It is only an offence if someone does so if they intend it is to the person's detriment and without reasonable excuse.

Mainly official letters. We have had a letter about it a few weeks ago from the freeholder saying that a few people in the block have been complaining about it.

@snewsname the folds are not in the right places. It's an A4 piece of paper folded into quarters.

Nah that's not right. Mine is folded into 3 to fit in a long envelope. Nobody folds into 4.

Hmm, if this has been happening to other people in the block as well there needs to be some sort of CCTV surely? It's totally unacceptable. I really don't miss living in a communal block, used to have packages and letters go missing all the time 😠 it put me on edge with all of my neighbours as I just didn't know who to trust, it's a horrible way to live. Hope you get some answers soon OP.

I'm sorry but it does sound like possible identity theft OP. I would not only follow the good advice from bobblehat but also notify any banks or credit card companies - they can flag your accounts up as at a higher risk of fraud and apply a lower than usual suspicion threshold - we had this when a chequebook was stolen - it is a bit of a faff when they are always calling you to double check on a transaction but worth it.

Given that others in your block have had a problem perhaps worth calling a meeting to discuss it and send a joint letter to the freeholder to ask if you could have individual mail boxes?

Most likely the post is being put in the wrong boxes and your neighbours are not realising until after they’ve opened it.

NHS letters get folded all sorts of weird ways because it’s done by hand to fit the windows.

If it was something suspect I think they would have made more effort to cover their tracks.

Folded in 4? Not in envelope?
Definitely not someone opening your mail inadvertently then IMO.
I'd contact Royal Mail to start with.

Op, take this seriously. We lived in flats with post boxes outside the front door.
The post boxes were broken into. Unbeknownst to us a scumbag had stolen our bank statement.
I got home from work and there was a card for a parcel which had been left at a house across the road by the courier.
I had no idea what it was for and it turns out it was a mobile phone this person had ordered presumably hoping to steal from the mailbox. I came from the house across the road and he was waiting for me on the pavement. Check your bank account for suspicious transactions please. And take care

You need to apply for a Mail Collect service from Royal Mail. After they verify your address they issue you with an ID card which you then present to collect your mail at the Prentis Rd Delivery Office.

yes sounds dodgy, they presumably now have your NHS number from the original letter or can use it as ID for something. very serious, yes contact landlord / police and get yourself a locked box outside your flat.

I work for the nhs and regularly fold letters into 4 to fit in envelope.