An accidental opening without intention isn't illegal. However, if you're opening a person's mail intentionally, then you can get into serious trouble. If you ever receive a parcel that doesn't have your name on it, it's best to return it to the sender.
Should you receive something that was not ordered by you, the right thing to do is get in touch with the sender and then ask the courier to take the parcel back. Usually, deliveries that you receive but didn't order are labeled by the courier as “unsolicited goods”.
Tampering with mail is a criminal offence in Australia. Opening mail you are not authorised to can be considered tampering. Division 471 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) is where you will find the law on postal offences. Under section 471.7, it is a federal crime if you open a 'mail-receptacle' that is not yours.
If the supplier doesn't collect the goods within the recovery period, you can keep them without having to pay anything for them. But you can't keep unsolicited goods if you: knew that the goods were not supposed to be sent to you – for example, if there is another name and address on the parcel.
The maximum penalty for stealing mail in Australia is five years' imprisonment.
The current advice from Australia Post if you receive mail addressed to your address but it is not for you or anyone who currently uses the address is to: Mark it as 'return to sender - unknown at this address' Place the item in a red street posting box or hand it to staff at any Post Office for return.
The penalties for tampering with mail in Australia include a maximum prison sentence of five years. Whether you receive five years imprisonment or two years imprisonment largely depends on whether you tampered with the mail with dishonest intentions or not.
You have the legal right to keep it as a free gift, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Sellers aren't permitted to ask for payment for unordered items, either, and the FTC says consumers are under no obligation to even tell the seller about the wrongly delivered merchandise.
When you receive a mistaken delivery, call customer service for the delivery company and explain the situation. Give them the tracking number on the package, as well as the name and address on the package if it's different from yours. The company will come and pick up the product within a reasonable time frame.
Normally, you have every right to keep them. In fact, the law is on your side too. No law will force you to return the items that have been wrongly delivered to you to the sender or to pay for them.
The short answer is “yes.” Opening or destroying mail that is addressed to someone else is a crime called “Obstruction of Correspondence.” It is a serious felony that could lead to prison time.
It is a federal crime to open or destroy mail that is not intended for you. The law provides that you can not "destroy, hide, open, or embezzle" mail that is not addressed to you. If you intentionally open or destroy someone else's mail, you are committing obstruction of correspondence, which is a felony.
Report the neighbor to the local Post Office, they will handle it. If by UPS or FedEx have all your packages delivered needing your signature.
By the law you are not allowed to keep it because of it being someone else's name. You have to either physically take it to the post office and let them know that person doesn't live at your address.
Cross out the barcode and write “Not at this Address: Return to Sender.” You can also just cross out the barcode and write “Return to Sender.” What do I do if I keep getting someone else's mail? If returning the mail to sender doesn't take care of the problem, notify your local post office directly.
Open the package and call the sender and let them know what happened. Tell them you suspect identify theft and ask them to investigate. If the sender wants the merchandise back, they will send you a call tag for return shipping - at no cost to you.
As long as the merchandise is addressed to you, you may keep it. If it is addressed to someone else, then you are obligated to make reasonable efforts to either return it or deliver it to the intended recipient. Save this answer.
Intentionally opening, intercepting or hiding someone else's mail is the felony crime of mail theft. It comes with some heavyweight penalties, including five years' incarceration in a federal prison.”
It's a crime. The Postal Services Act 2000 clearly states that it is certainly illegal to open someone's post, or delay it reaching the owner.
Harassment. Sending threatening, unsolicited, obnoxious, or sexually explicit messages to others by email is a form of harassment, as is continuing to mail someone who has asked you to stop.
In short, the postal acceptance rule deems a contract to be complete and binding at the time the acceptance is posted, rather than at the time the acceptance is actually received. The rationale for the rule is thus : the nature of postal communication denotes a separation of parties by time and distance.
If an item is delivered to the wrong address, we will ask the postal operator to try to get it back. If the missing item can't be found, we will check the postal operator's terms and conditions to work out what compensation should be paid.
Your shipment will be redirected to the original sender or held at the local Post Office for pickup.
Your Rights When You Get Unordered Merchandise
By law, companies can't send unordered merchandise to you, then demand payment. That means you never have to pay for things you get but didn't order. You also don't have to return unordered merchandise. You're legally entitled to keep it as a free gift.
Can I keep Amazon packages delivered to my house by mistake? Credit: Amazon Yes, you can!