View Full Version : Fake "official" mail
Why do they do this?
DS had some mail come to our house. It looked VERY official. Had writing on it like an IRS refund would be. It had "Warning: $2000 Fine, 5 years imprisonment, or both for any person interfering or obstructing with Delivery of this Letter U.S. Mail TTT. 18 sec. 1720 U.S. Code." And you had to fold and tear each side to open it (like more important things are).
And it's just JUNK!
Why do they waste their time making you think it's important? It's not like it's a great deal and all you have to do, to be convinced, is read the danged thing. If anything.........it makes me NOT want to do business with them.
(It was for a loan).
Stupid, stupid, stupid!
It's to get you to open it......and it worked!
Yes, we get one of those occasionally and it IS annoying.
Yeah, I opened it........but what good is that if I end up being pissed? :~)
ToomuchStuff
11-6-14, 2:50pm
Someday, I will take a trash can and mount it to the bottom of my mailbox, and write on it, for third class mail. I think April 1st would be a good day for that and watch the mail carrier.
http://trac.syr.edu/laws/18/18USC01702.html
To be fair they weren't dishonest. They just didn't mention that the penalty applies to tampering with any mail. Their mail isn't special in that regard.
http://trac.syr.edu/laws/18/18USC01702.html
To be fair they weren't dishonest. They just didn't mention that the penalty applies to tampering with any mail. Their mail isn't special in that regard.
Yes, I saw that. But that was really being.........well.......what's a good word? .........I can't think of the right word. But it ticked me off. I'm getting so tired of all the manipulation. Maybe in the commercial area, it's a "good" psychological tool to use to get people to open the envelope up.......but for me, it works against my wanting to do anything at all with that company.
TooMuchStuff........I get tempted to do the same thing. I probably get a full grocery sack of junk mail every 2 weeks. I do recycle it, but what an absolute waste of trees/resources, etc. :devil:
I just throw any bulk-rate mail straight into the woodstove.
If it's something important, they'll send it properly.
"Disingenuous?"
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0262-stopping-unsolicited-mail-phone-calls-and-email is a useful site for different ways to cut down on junk. I have to agree with you. Frankly, since I don't think it makes a bit of difference anyway, I'm tempted to vote for the candidate who sends the fewest number of colored cardboard fliers to my house.
This why we still have Saturday deliveries - so we can get stuff like this 6 days a week.
iris lilies
11-6-14, 10:05pm
Dear Miss CathyA,
I am Dr. Makabta Zimbu and I am muchly happy that my American friends open my emails from Nigeria. They open the helpful messages from myself and my Nigerian friends and they send money. My Americans friends send to me their bank account information because I ask for it. We are all friends now!
The many princes of Nigeria are in happy land to be helping Americans in this way. I am happy and friendly to help you in this way, I will send you money too. Please send to me immediately your bank account number. You will receive much good from me. Upon receipt of your good response I will liase with you toward effective completion of this transaction.
Absolute confidentiality and sincerity of purpose will be highly appreciated.
Ministry of Transport
Federal Republic of Nigeria
Dear Miss CathyA,
I am Dr. Makabta Zimbu and I am muchly happy that my American friends open my emails from Nigeria. They open the helpful messages from myself and my Nigerian friends and they send us money. My Americans friends send to me their bank account information because I ask for it. We are all friends now!
The many princes of Nigeria are in happy land to be helping Americans in this way. I am happy and friendly to help you in this way. Please send to me immediately your bank account number. You will receive much good from me.
Hi Doctor Zimbu, long time no hear.
iris lilies
11-6-14, 10:32pm
Hi Doctor Zimbu, long time no hear.
Hello dear friend Mr Alan,
You are known as good person and I muchly like your friendship in allowing me access to your bank account last month. So much thanks!
haha--kidding
Iris
ToomuchStuff
11-7-14, 1:43am
Third class, bulk rate is pretty much what keeps the post office going now days. (although I still like my trash can idea) How many of you pay your bills, or receive them through the mail? I still do.
ApatheticNoMore
11-7-14, 2:46am
Third class, bulk rate is pretty much what keeps the post office going now days. (although I still like my trash can idea) How many of you pay your bills, or receive them through the mail? I still do.
I've often contemplated whether money could be made by the post office NOT delivering junk mail. Yes I'm saying I'd willingly pay not to get junk mail. There are services that promise this but I don't think they do anything for junk mail not addressed to a resident (like store flyers), but that is most junk mail! Into the recycle bag it goes (which I then take to be recycled). And there are ways for anyone to get off certain kinds of junk mail like credit card offers, but again that's not most of it. But do you know who would be really really effective at not delivering junk mail if they wanted to? The post office! Because they deliver it in the first place! So I wonder if they could make enough charging me and others who wanted to be junk mail free that it would offset any loss in junk mail delivery. Yes money for literally doing nothing, and it's green for free, come on post office ...
I do pay my bills through the mail.
another major cause of junk mail besides store flyers: unaddressed cable company offers. I get about one a week. I'm always like: how many years do I have to live here before you get I don't want cable (never had it in my adult life or growing up - yea I've watched some with others), before the weekly mail stops already?!? But since they are unaddressed and it's an apt building that people move in and out of it's hopeless - maybe the next tenant gets all excited about the offers in the weekly cable junk mail.
I never thought of looking at the type of "stamp".......in terms of the bulk rate thing. So what would, say, a federal tax return stamp look like? (I forget).
The thing I don't understand is how can the company that sends this stuff afford to keep sending it? I have NEVER bought anything from reading junk mail. I hope it's not because so many people DO respond to it.
It's pretty sad if the US PO depends on junk mail to stay afloat. Then again.........look at all the junk that the U.S. depends on to stay afloat economically. :(
And while you're all here..........I'm always hearing about old people getting ripped off by strangers who come to their door and say things like "I can put a new roof on your house for cheap", etc., etc. but I need half of the money now. And the old people give it to them!
Are these old people just really stupid? naive? brain injured? Or will this happen to me too as I get older?
Frankly I'm surprised that junk mail of this sort still exists. The hit ratio of people who actually buy from them has got to be astoundingly low, so I have trouble imagining that it's a profitable business model once you add in the 'marketing' cost of printing and sending out all that junk. But it must be or else people wouldn't still do it. Email is a much more efficient way to do this since it costs $0 for each additional email that is sent, so even a vanishingly small response would still be successful.
When I lived in Bisbee I requested that the PO not deliver the weekly grocery ad packet. I believe I did this simply by calling the PO. Of course we had the same mailman for years, so it might just have been a matter of him doing us a favor, but it didn't come and after doing a cc offer opt out and calling a few catalog companies, the junk mail was nearly 0. Having moved, I'm getting a lot of it again, and I believe our house was a high turnover rental for a while so I get junk addressed to several people. Bleh, time for a blitz again.
ToomuchStuff
11-7-14, 12:00pm
Frankly I'm surprised that junk mail of this sort still exists. The hit ratio of people who actually buy from them has got to be astoundingly low, so I have trouble imagining that it's a profitable business model once you add in the 'marketing' cost of printing and sending out all that junk. But it must be or else people wouldn't still do it. Email is a much more efficient way to do this since it costs $0 for each additional email that is sent, so even a vanishingly small response would still be successful.
Examine your junk mail. The majority of mine is grocery store ad's, mixed in with pizza place ads (chains competing with one another), rentacenter ads (target area's by average income level per zip code), new business opening ads (hey we are here, come see us), mixed in with dish and att internet ads. The minority is normally other stuff, like, we will send you address labels, please send us money for this not charity, but looks like a charity.
Email is a LOT more cost effective and that is why stores are always asking for your email/cell phone numbers (text is the same). Your sending to your known customer base and at the same time examining their shopping habits to know how to sell more to them, all the while, getting them to pay for the ads.
Wait 'til you get close to age 65......you'll get boatloads of stuff from insurance companies. I get all sorts of junk mail, from all different types of businesses.
I used to get our local newspaper, but I discontinued it a couple years ago. But it still shows up several times a week. I have told them I don't want it!........but it keeps coming. And one of them is Wednesday's paper, which has all the ads in it......that are pretty much the same as the Sunday paper we get. And if you subscribe to the Sunday paper, you HAVE to get the Thursday paper (free). I say "But ma'am, we don't WANT the Thursday paper." Too bad......you HAVE to get it when you order the Sunday paper.
Plus, I'm still getting junk mail for my mother, who died 4 years ago. I learned the hard way to never order anything from places like Miles.......forget the name, or other crap places, 'cause they'll never let you go. I've called places and told them to stop it, and they say they will, but never do.
I like the "Taste of Home" monthly recipe magazine. Last time, I paid for a 2 year subscription.........then shortly after that, they starting sending me "Renew now for a good deal!" mail constantly. And I quit donating to places like the Natural Resources Defense Fund..........cause as soon as you donate, they bug the heck out of you forever.
SteveinMN
11-8-14, 12:09pm
Plus, I'm still getting junk mail for my mother, who died 4 years ago. I learned the hard way to never order anything from places like Miles.......forget the name, or other crap places, 'cause they'll never let you go. I've called places and told them to stop it, and they say they will, but never do.
It makes me wonder how much less expensive some catalog products would be if they didn't have the expenses of mailing after mailing after mailing...
I like the "Taste of Home" monthly recipe magazine. Last time, I paid for a 2 year subscription.........then shortly after that, they starting sending me "Renew now for a good deal!" mail constantly.
The latest tactic I've seen is for the magazine to opt you in to automatic renewal every year. "For your convenience [which, IME, never makes it more convenient for me] you won't be bothered by subscriptions reminders or have to write another check to keep receiving Bicuspid Monthly!" I wonder how many people they rope into getting the magazine for years because undoing that is just time-consuming and putzy. The first magazine that tried that got a quick call from me. And then a discontinuation because I now read it from the library.
iris lily
11-8-14, 12:33pm
It makes me wonder how much less expensive some catalog products would be if they didn't have the expenses of mailing after mailing after mailing...
The latest tactic I've seen is for the magazine to opt you in to automatic renewal every year. "For your convenience [which, IME, never makes it more convenient for me] you won't be bothered by subscriptions reminders or have to write another check to keep receiving Bicuspid Monthly!"...
But how are they collecting payment for these extended subscriptions? If they aren't getting their money, that's on them. I would consider that a free subscription, and thank you very much Mr. Publisher.
The opposite is the begging letter. I get one a couple of times a year from the editor of National Review and yes, I've been known to write a check. It makes DH mad, but I think that supporting good conservative writing is important and if their subscription sales don't keep the organization afloat, then donations will help. These begging letters have traditionally been witty and wry in their tenor, and so my check is kind of a reward for the quality of the ask.
Miss Cellane
11-8-14, 1:04pm
But how are they collecting payment for these extended subscriptions? If they aren't getting their money, that's on them. I would consider that a free subscription, and thank you very much Mr. Publisher.
This happened to my sister. They keep the credit card you use to pay the subscription on file and charge that two years down the road. If you pay by check, they can't do that, but then they send tons of renewal letters.
In my sister's case, she was able to get the money back. But you have to do that in the time frame your credit card gives you to dispute charges.
It's all about reading the very, very fine print.
Examine your junk mail. The majority of mine is grocery store ad's, mixed in with pizza place ads (chains competing with one another), rentacenter ads (target area's by average income level per zip code), new business opening ads (hey we are here, come see us), mixed in with dish and att internet ads. The minority is normally other stuff, like, we will send you address labels, please send us money for this not charity, but looks like a charity.
Email is a LOT more cost effective and that is why stores are always asking for your email/cell phone numbers (text is the same). Your sending to your known customer base and at the same time examining their shopping habits to know how to sell more to them, all the while, getting them to pay for the ads.
Stuff like grocery ads I can almost understand. I imagine people still look at those. I was only referring, though, to the OP's junk. I can't imagine enough people respond to stuff like that to make it cost effective when spam is so much cheaper to send.
At the end of the day we don't get too much junk mail since we're on the don't junk me list, or whatever it's called and the don't credit card me list. And I don't pay any attention to it. I stand by the recycle bin while going through the mail every day and it's disposed of within 20 seconds of my having come through the door. The part that annoys me are all the catalogs from places that SO likes to shop. Expensive glossy ones that just seem like a huge waste since they get tossed at the same time everything else does.
iris lilies
11-8-14, 1:46pm
My New Year's resolution a few years ago was to follow up on catalogs and get them to stop sending them to me. It did work for a while, but now in the Xmas season I'm getting a few catalogs again.
Like jp1, I toss the junk mail, unopened. I've yet to toss something important, but then, DH goes through our mail carefully first to pull out all financial documents, so pretty much anything left is junk.
M I've yet to toss something important, but then, DH goes through our mail carefully first to pull out all financial documents, so pretty much anything left is junk.My wife tosses junk mail unopened at our house. Earlier this year I found a just tossed notice from our BMV addressed to me. Apparently they audit some registered vehicle owners each year for proof of insurance. The letter advised me that I had 60 days to send in proof of insurance in the enclosed self-addressed envelope. If I failed to do so within the 60 day period my drivers license would be suspended.
I'm all for tossing legitimate junk mail unopened, but now I watch the process a little closer.
Yeah, I usually toss most junk mail........and now I'll toss even more after looking at the postage corner.
So Alan.....can you remember what the stamp area looked like on your BMV envelope. I want to fine-tune my skills. haha
I almost threw something away a few years ago. It ended up being from another state, where my father had lived. It looked like junk, but I opened it. He was deceased and they were trying to find a relative, to give them some insurance money to. Sure glad I didn't toss it.
Blackdog Lin
11-8-14, 10:07pm
In the postage corner, the indicia: what you call junk mail will always say Standard Mail or Std Mail, usually with the word presort along with it. You can always safely throw this stuff away. First Class mail - which you always want to open - will say First Class if it's preprinted (the indicia looks just like standard mail - you just need to read it to see what class it is). First Class mail might also be metered and may or may not say First Class, but the postage amount will be nearer the current stamp price, which today is $.49. Once you get to looking at and reading that postage corner, it's pretty easy to tell the difference.
I spent years and years just throwing away our junk mail till DH taught me a little lesson: if the envelope seems fat at all open it and see if there are "free gifts" inside. I now have a 3-year supply of return-address labels, obtained for free, sent from various charities and organizations trying to get us to donate to them. I have no problem at all keeping their solicitation "gifts".
I like to use their return envelope, postage paid by them, to send back my request to remove me from their mailing lists.
iris lily
11-9-14, 12:41am
I always keep the address labels. They are perfect for entering flower show. For each entry, you have to put you name and address on two pieces of the entry tag. When I enter a dozen stem in each show, and enter a few shows a year, that adds up. I love these address labels for this purpose!
My problem, at least as far as I know..., isn't that I've tossed some important piece of mail that falsely appeared to be junk mail. My problem is that I've streamlined my bill paying to the point that the only bill I have to manually pay each month is my visa card. And I pay it online. So any legitimate mail winds up in a drawer to be dealt with in bulk every two or three weeks. The problem is that the timeframe is not as consistent as it probably should be, so it sometimes becomes more like a couple of months. No disasters yet. If something's really important my experience has been that they'll send a second or third notice.
I, too, dislike the reams of junk mail that I receive each year and that is so cleverly disguised as something I would either need or want to open and consider. I also miss the days when I didn't feel like my bank was out to get me. I'm so tired of all these offers to "help" me in some way, which just results in money out of my pocket. Because they come from my bank or some other institution with which we do business, I do, of course, open and read/peruse the contents to make sure I'm not inadvertently shredding something I will need. In recent years, we've switched all of our banking over to our credit union, which is so much better.
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