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.
If receiving the incorrect mail in your mailbox is a persistent problem, call the USPS Consumer Affairs office, file a complaint, or report it to your local postmaster.
What do you write on mail that isn't yours? 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.”
If this does happen, you can put a cross through the address and write 'Not known at this address' or 'No longer lives here' and put it back in a postbox. Where possible, we'll return the item to the sender hopefully allowing them to update their records.
What do I do with mail that has my address, but the wrong name? Mail which bears your address but has a different name should be returned to the post office marked “not at this address”. If it has “or current resident”, it is yours to read or recycle.
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.
With return to sender, a mail carrier will pick up the mail item, whether it's delivered to the wrong address or person or rejected, and send it back to the sender. Did you receive mail that isn't yours and need to send it back? It happens.
Yes ! As long as you haven't opened the letter or box, you're allowed to write “REFUSED” on it and “return to sender”. Also make sure you covered up your address and any postal service barcodes on it, those might/will cause any automated mails sorting machine to send them back to you again.
Other Things You Can Do
Return junk mail unopened to the sender by writing “Refused. Return to sender.” on the envelope. Without this special notation; the post office will not return the mail to the sender. Call mail order catalog companies.
written authorization (and their own valid photo ID). Authorization can be written directly on the delivery notice (on the back of PS Form 3849) or on plain paper (simply a note on paper saying that "a name" has permission to pick up mail for "my name", and then it needs to be signed) from the addressee.
If you accidentally open someone else's mail, you will not be committing a criminal offence. However, if you then keep that mail, it could be considered an offence. Likewise, if you obtain the mail dishonestly, you may be committing and offence.
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.
Legally, you're not allowed to open mail arriving at your address for another person. Yes you are. The mail is considered correctly delivered, and can be opened, if the address is correct.
If you've signed off on the letter or package, then you will need to pay the postage to send it back.
All you need to do is mark the item as 'Return to Sender – Unknown At This Address' and place it back in the mailbox. Please don't forget to erect the red flag to tell the delivery person that an outgoing mail piece is waiting for them.
Generally speaking, a package will take the same time to come back as the original delivery timeframe suggests. For example, if you paid for Priority Mail, delivery typically occurs anywhere from 1-4 business days. So, a returned Priority Mail package might take the same amount of time to come back.
Do not throw the mail away. Lawpath explains that it's illegal to throw out mail intended for someone else. The only authority in Australia which can throw out mail is the post office such as Australia Post. If in doubt, write “RETURN TO SENDER” on the envelope and place it into your local post box.
The required documents typically include the original mailing address of the sender, a return address label with your current address, and a valid form of payment such as cash or credit/debit card. Additionally, you will need to bring the item(s) you wish to return.
If it's combined with a few other letters that are addressed to you, you may accidentally open it, thinking that it was yours. The federal statute 18 USC Section 1702 states that it is illegal for individuals to open correspondence that is addressed to other individuals.
Legally, you're allowed to keep a mistaken delivery. Surprising, right? The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has rules that allow you to keep merchandise that's wrongly delivered — even if you didn't pay for it. The logic is that sellers can't just send you goods and demand money for them.
Am I required to return it? Is this legal? Under state and federal law, recipients of unordered merchandise may keep the goods and are under no obligation to pay for or return them. The recipient may treat the merchandise as an unconditional gift—and may use or dispose of the merchandise as he or she sees fit.
If you ever receive mail from the USPS, open it immediately. By default, the USPS sends a confirmation of an address change and a validation letter. If you get either, call your local post office immediately to confirm if anyone filed a change-of-address form.
It is the illegal and unauthorized request to change someone's mailing address, without their consent. The way this works is, individuals with bad intentions will complete a USPS change of address without the resident's agreement.