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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To get annoyed with being used as a postbox

166 replies

Hothammock · 12/05/2021 05:02

About 2 months ago we started getting post for a name who doesn't live at my property, has never lived at my property. Conscious of the risk of fraud I kept a record of the company it was from and then did 'return to sender not at this address' and shoved it back in the postbox.

About a week later, a woman turned up to say she was a relative of a lady a few doors down and to ask if we were getting Mail for someone else. She got DH at the door who wasn't aware of the letter I had returned so he said no. She told DH that when the mail comes he should give it to their relative x neighbour and explained her own husband had set up a redirect and changed all his banking details etc to the wrong address-our house rather than their relatives house down the street.

I thought this was all a bit odd especially as the woman wasn't claiming to be the person on the letter, and it wasn't my neighbour coming to explain this, for all we knew it was a random stranger.

After this we started getting loads more post and some with redirected stickers on. Basically someone had set up a redirect with Royal mail to our house. It says it lasts to October 2021 on the envelopes!

We now get more mail for this person than for ourselves.

The woman hasn't been seen since and I haven't seen my neighbour either-she works shifts and hasn't made any effort to speak to me etc about this. She is a nice friendly lady and we chat maybe 2 or 3 times a year if we bump into each other on our street. She lives alone and is in the process of selling her house so the story of a relative redirecting post there until October doesn't add up anyway!

Aibu to shove it all back in the postbox as not at this address? I am really irritated about this random woman's husband using my address whether it's an accident or not, she doesn't seem to be doing anything to correct her mistake and surely I shouldn't just be handing over post addressed to x man to a random woman claiming to be connected to a neighbour. They do not even live at the neighbours house either.

OP posts:
ProfessionalWeirdo · 12/05/2021 14:04

@Hothammock

Some is redirection and some is actually direct mail. He has changed his details to my house address for the latter.
That second point definitely sounds dodgy. Is it possible to tell where the direct mail is coming from? Is there any identifying info on the envelopes?
Original poster
Hothammock · 12/05/2021 14:34

@professionalwierdo I have accidentally opened some and it was a pension company. Another has a council name on the envelope.
They are proper institions, it's not junk stuff.

OP posts:
ProfessionalWeirdo · 12/05/2021 15:01

[quote Hothammock]@professionalwierdo I have accidentally opened some and it was a pension company. Another has a council name on the envelope.
They are proper institions, it's not junk stuff.[/quote]
Perhaps you need to contact the senders directly. Tell them what you've told us. I can't see any legitimate reason why the

ProfessionalWeirdo · 12/05/2021 15:07

Sorry - hit the wrong button there and posted too soon. I meant to say: I can't imagine any legitimate reason why the guy should deliberately be giving out a false address.

mogsrus · 12/05/2021 15:26

The last mail we got for someone else was from a bank,we could see the banks make through the envelope window, went to bank & told them we were receiving unsolicited mail,& anymore will not be returned but shreaded,was told,if the right person does not give a forwarding address ,the computer knows no other place to send it,we have never received any more,as the bank updated straight away

Original poster
Hothammock · 12/05/2021 15:28

@professionalwierdo I have accidentally opened some and it was a pension company. Another has a council name on the envelope.
They are proper institions, it's not junk stuff.

OP posts:
BlueLobelia · 12/05/2021 15:39

It's totally dodgy.

Fatladyslim · 12/05/2021 15:42

This is why I stopped wearing red hoodies when hanging about on street corners.

GlassBoxSpectacular · 12/05/2021 15:54

[quote Hothammock]@professionalwierdo I have accidentally opened some and it was a pension company. Another has a council name on the envelope.
They are proper institions, it's not junk stuff.[/quote]
So what action are you planning to take, with the senders and with Royal Mail regarding the fraudulent redirection and their error in not informing you it had been set up for your address?

GlassBoxSpectacular · 12/05/2021 15:57

[quote Hothammock]@professionalwierdo I have accidentally opened some and it was a pension company. Another has a council name on the envelope.
They are proper institions, it's not junk stuff.[/quote]
So what action are you planning to take, with the senders and with Royal Mail regarding the fraudulent redirection and their error in not informing you it had been set up for your address?

ProfessionalWeirdo · 12/05/2021 16:06

Sorry - hit the wrong button and posted too soon. I meant to say: I can't imagine any legitimate reason why the guy should deliberately be giving out a false address.

Fatladyslim · 12/05/2021 16:13

This is why I stopped wearing red hoodies when hanging about on street corners.

ProfessionalWeirdo · 12/05/2021 16:36

[quote Hothammock]@professionalwierdo I have accidentally opened some and it was a pension company. Another has a council name on the envelope.
They are proper institions, it's not junk stuff.[/quote]
Perhaps you need to contact the senders directly. Tell them what you've told us.

GlassBoxSpectacular · 12/05/2021 16:41

Apologies for the double post up thread ^^

MN was being glitchy Hmm

GlassBoxSpectacular · 12/05/2021 16:42

Apologies for the double post up thread ^^

MN was being glitchy Hmm

kgov1 · 12/05/2021 16:50

None of what they have told you stacks up. Even if they made a mistake with royal mail, how hard would it be to change your name with your employer or pension company? I highly suspect there is some fraudulent activity going on and you would be wise to take action sooner rather than later.

kgov1 · 12/05/2021 16:56

A quick search shows people apply for a redirection of someone's mail to scam them. If the people under the label are living in a swanky property they could be the victims of fraud and the scammer is using your address to gain access to the post without using their own address. Definitely report this ASAP.

PattyPan · 12/05/2021 17:04

Yes contact Royal Mail to change the redirection.

Addresses have nothing to do with credit ratings though - that’s a myth. The only way anyone else can affect your credit rating is if you have a joint account/loan etc with them.

OhRene · 12/05/2021 17:51

It's strange that it hasn't been cancelled already as they have obviously realised that they put the wrong address. I doubt there's anything sinister behind it though - they probably just don't want to pay again to get it redirected to the right address.

A mistake almost explains the redirect but they still have to pay to change it. However, the OP says she's also getting direct mail too so not only did the guy put the wrong address one one small form, he's giving it out elsewhere.

A typo is one thing, pretending you live somewhere you don't is something dodgy.
It's only harmless til bailiffs are hammering the door at 6am or the police are battering your door down with a warrant.

marydtf · 12/05/2021 17:57

Go to your nearest delivery office callers office or call customer services on 03457 740 740 and tell them what's happening. The manager will be able to stop any more being delivered to you and can contact the redirection people and ask them to call whoever set up the redirection and get it sorted. Do not give any mail to this other address, give it back to postman to be returned as unknown.

GlassBoxSpectacular · 12/05/2021 18:09

It's strange that it hasn't been cancelled already

It's even stranger that the OP didn't contact RM to get it cancelled herself the second she realised it had been set up!

Original poster
Hothammock · 12/05/2021 19:34

There is a letter with royal mail branding in the pile. Perhaps that's the redirection notice? Obviously it's addressed to the mystery person so I didn't open it...
The redirected stuff actually came after the women spoke to dh. The first items were direct mail. Because she came with the relative of neighbour story I have hesitated now this redirected stuff is coming and not been sure what to do.
If she had no link to a nice neighbour I would have dealt with it pronto but the neighbour link has thrown me.
Still no sign of the neighbour...

OP posts:
booksandnooks · 12/05/2021 19:43

You're mad. I would open all of the letters- sounds dodgy, like they are using your address possibly fraud?
I would be opening all letters and either binning them or ringing whoever is sending them if it does turn out to be dodgy.
Sure its easy to post letters back in the box but its not as easy to shove a bailiff in there Grin

GlassBoxSpectacular · 12/05/2021 19:58

@Hothammock

There is a letter with royal mail branding in the pile. Perhaps that's the redirection notice? Obviously it's addressed to the mystery person so I didn't open it... The redirected stuff actually came after the women spoke to dh. The first items were direct mail. Because she came with the relative of neighbour story I have hesitated now this redirected stuff is coming and not been sure what to do. If she had no link to a nice neighbour I would have dealt with it pronto but the neighbour link has thrown me. Still no sign of the neighbour...
Yeah, I’m still baffled to be honest.

Someone is getting mail delivered/redirected to your house, so much so that they receive more mail at your house than you do.

A stranger knocks on your door and gives you a suspiciously vague tale about a neighbour, who you haven’t seen in months and who is in the process of moving anyway. The stranger never returns and then you link the redirected mail to a £1million address in London but don’t contact RM about the fraudulent redirection.

And you’re not sure what to do, so you’ve done nothing at all, for months? Confused

Longsleepneeded · 12/05/2021 20:01

I work for Royal Mail. Definatly dodgy!! Go to your local sorting office and report it. Take all the mail back to them, they will pass on all the details to the relevant authorities to investigate.