My mail has been opened!!! What should I do?

[dubyaD40web]

My mother sent me a b-day card on April 15th and I just got it today. The envelope was opened at the top and bottom and resealed with scotch tape. Mom said there was money in there but I'm afraid to open it for now.

Has anyone else had this? Any clues on what to do?

thx

[TX-RAT]

1. Take it to the post office.

[Ioo]

2. It is a Fed crime, so call the Fed? NT

[Soloflecks]

3. Send it to me.

I'm not afraid to open it, but I'll keep the money.

[dubyaD40web]

9. LOL

I bet you would! :-)

[Harper_is_Bush]

4. Why are you afraid to open it?

[dubyaD40web]

13. In case they investigate it.

I don't want to touch evidence. Especially if they touched the b-day card.

[SpiralHawk]

5. call your local newspapers and give them the story

this shit is happening again and again and again all over Amrica.

You are not the only one.

Big BushCo has its perverted fascist nose up every butt crack in America.

Sick.

[Warpy]

6. All my left wing sucker list mail gets opened

but nothing else does. Open it and look for the money. If there's no money in it, go to the Post Ofiice and make out a formal complaint. Bring the envelope. Don't worry about prints, it's been handled by so many people already, they woouldn't be able to get much off it.

They need to know they've got a thief.

[blogslut]

7. Could be it was authentically damaged

I've only had one piece of mail that was actually opened by the authorities that I know of.



As for PO damage, I don't know how they handle it.

[Sammy Pepys]

8. In my experience....

USPS usually notifies you if your mail was mangled or somehow accidentally opened during transit. I've gotten a handful of letters that have been ripped or ended up opened somehow in little plastic bags with a form letter "sorry about your mail" note attached.

I'd open your mail and see if the money is missing. I don't know what you'll be able to do if it is, though.

[dogday]

10. Some of the times, the glue doesn't

stick or it was not licked well enough.. My mother-in-law sends them like that all the time.... Nice that they taped it up for you...

[dubyaD40web]

15. But this was opened on the bottom and top!

Very weird.

[dogday]

19. Weird

very strange..

[npincus]

11. OMG, that's horrible.

I presume it was cash in there, not a check. I had jewelry stolen from an envelope once.

Gee, I think you should photograph it, both sides, in the condition it arrived, then open it. Until you open it, you won't know the extent of the crime.

[unblock]

12. mrs. unblock recently received some mail marked "received unsealed"

the envelope flap had never been sealed.

the contents, ironically, was a "privacy statement" from her credit card....

[novalib]

14. It's Starting, People!

I'm sorry to say this, dubyaD40web, but you are one of the first!

Get used to it, folks -- The THUGS in the White House, along with all of their little lapdogs, WILL BE OPENING OUR MAIL!

And, just so we are duly intimidated -- they will LET US KNOW that they have opened our mail.

Get used to it -- OR DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

[uppityperson]

20. I hope this was satire.

if the thugs in the w.h. are opening mail, it wouldn't be so blatant.
when in trouble
when in doubt
run in circles
scream and shout

[dogday]

22. Remember when that lady ordered

a bra from Russia and the government opened it thinking they had found something... They were hit with double d's...:rofl:

[novalib]

30. NOT Satire

I meant what I said!

OK, maybe the thugs in the White House will not actually be the ones opening our mail.

But their minions -- their "brown shirts" -- will.

They may or may not read our mail -- reading our mail is NOT the point.

The point is to have us think that they can -- AND WILL -- open our mail.

They want us to live in fear and terror -- fear and terror of THEM!

[uppityperson]

34. Ah, I have had mail problems for the last 25 yrs

mail arrived unsealed, ends cut off, sent to wrong address, money missing, etc. It is not a new problem. I am saving my fear and paranoia for other things, not to say there is anything wrong with being suspicious, but am saving it for other things.

[bdamomma]

44. people are seeing unfold right before their eyes

isn't anyone going to fight these thugs.

[fearthem]

16. Probably opened to see if there was cash -- resealed if a check...

sending a birthday-sized card is a red flag to would be thieves as they know many birthday greetings contain a $20 bill.

[atommom]

17. A friend who used to be a postal employee told me that he

knew of a few cases where employees had opened bulky envelopes (like birthday cards) looking for cash. So if the mail wasn't damaged by accident, the next less scary explanation might be simple theft. If the money is gone, I'd report it so the P.O. can investigate.

[soothsayer]

61. It's soooo easy to spot money in envelopes. (I'm a former USPS

ee too, and can tell you that bday cards from grandma are sooooo easy to spot.

On edit, most USPS folks don't steal! They make you so paranoid about getting set up by postal inspectors that you're afraid to pick up your own dollar that you accidentally drop on the ground. Seriously!

[politicaholic]

18. I suggest you stop being unpatriotic...

lick the envelope to check for anthrax and then go out and buy something made in China.

[dubyaD40web]

21. Well, here's a start:

Report mail theft, tampering, vandalism:

https://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/mailthft/mlntrcvd.htm

[Kajsa]

23. This is so wrong.

It's a crime, it's invasive, so what else is new
in our Bush New World?

Report it to your local PO, the local one that delivers
your mail- it sounds like an inside job.

Let all your friends and family know about this.
If they send you some $, ask them to please
send checks, not cash.

[spuddonna]

24. Our mailboxes have been repeatedly broken into over the past few years...

It is possible that some local drug addicts are targeting your mailbox. That's what happened in our area. They would look for personal letters so they could look for cash. It was really bad the yr before we moved here. Apparently, they were grabbing credit card statements and utility bills from people's boxes to committ id fraud. A few of our neighbors have had to cancel bank accounts, credit cards because of this.

Go ahead and open the letter to see if the money is there, but then take it to your local post office and report this. They will be able to help you determine what to do next.

Also, ask your neigbors. You may not be the only one this has happened to.

And I'd recommend that any letters that you send out that have account numbers on them, drop them in a local blue box (US Postal box).

Try to pick up your mail as soon as you can. Our neighbors that were hit the hardest tended to only check once a week.

Please let me know if you have any other questions. I know it really freaked us out when we realized this was happening! :hi:

[dubyaD40web]

25. Thanks for the info....

But, my mother mailed the card at the P.O. in her town.

[uppityperson]

27. Is there money still in it? Open it and see. Thief or error.

I have a name and address similar to another person (same 1st name, same street #) in my town. We have gotten each others mail by accident and yes, opened it before figuring out it was for the other uppityperson. It could be a simple mistake, or someone could have stolen the money. We have also had mail stolen from our roadside box, or there might be a thief elsewhere in the system. My advice is to open it, check for money, take it from there. There is enough to be paranoid about, but this has been happening forever. Good luck and peace.

[spuddonna]

40. Well, it could have been an internal theft...

Either at her branch office or yours. And it still could have been a targeted attack on your mailbox. After the first attack on our neighbors mail, they would find personal mail and bills delivered late, way past the post-mark date. And that was before the next big 'Christmas Sweep', where we all found our mail dumped on the side of the road. As our neighbors said, there's nothing like talking to your local police on Christmas Eve about your stolen mail!

Go talk to your local PO. I forgot to mention, talk to your letter carrier. Ours has been great and he goes out of his way to bring packages to our door because he knows we've been targeted before.

[lonestarnot]

26. Notify Office of the Inspector General. They have their own

complaint forms. Ask them to mail them. You might also want to call the Postal Inspector's Office in your area. This is not legal advise as I am not an attorney.. blah blah blah

[Caoimhe]

28. I have an idea

Maybe your mom was really out of cash and decided to let someone else take the blame. Pretend the card was opened and the money missing. She could tell you it was a check for $500 and you wouldn't be the wiser. OK just kidding.... please don't flame me. I'm sure your mom would never do that. My mother in law, however...

[Catherine Vincent]

29. Postal workers have been stealing money from letters for ages.

You take a chance mailing money through the post office. You live and learn.

[novalib]

42. Nice.

Do you have proof that postal WORKERS have been stealing money for ages?

I think you insult the good, hard-working WORKERS of the Postal Service.

[Catherine Vincent]

57. No proof.

And I didn't mean to insult the good, hard-working postal workers out there but I did mean to insult the ones that steal. :)

[moobu2]

31. I dont know but I got something the other day from

a liberal democratic organization that had been opened. I could see where it was sealed and pulled open. It bothered me a little but I didn’t think about it much. Obviously it was sealed then opened though.

[Midlodemocrat]

32. If the item arrived damaged without a note from the Post Office

stating that they received it damaged, then my guess would be that someone at the Post Office took a chance that there was money in the card and opened it.

Many years ago, I left a pink rose quartz necklace behind at a hotel. They sent it to me in an envelope. Envelope arrived, opened. No necklace. Post Office denied everything.

[Vinca]

33. Whoa - we're getting way too paranoid here.

I've gotten someone else's mail in my post office box before and accidently opened it without looking at the name. Chances are, something like that happened. Believe it or not, there are still honest people in the world. I'm betting the cash is inside.

[originalpckelly]

35. Investigate it, and try to find out if other people have had...

the same problem.

Go to the police, but you have to make sure you don't act like a raving lunatic. They'll blow you off if that happens.

Here is what you ask, then pm me what happened:
1. Do you know of any other cases where people have come in and said this, and not been nutcases?
2. Do you know of any law enforcement operations that might involve this?

Those should give good information.

[Greyhound]

36. If it was opened by the post office they put a notice on it with an

explanation. If there is no explanation from them, it is a crime and should be reported to the Post Master for investigation.

[Caution]

37. Get a grip. "they" aren't opening your birthday cards. Seriously.

If anything a postal worker somewhere along the line probably opened it to see if he/she could "earn" a little extra cash.

[novalib]

45. Why Do So Many Folks Here ASSUME

Why the HELL do so many folks on this progressive website ASSUME that it was a postal WORKER that opened (and then robbed) the card??!!!!

Such an assumption is an INSULT to ALL WORKERS!

For SHAME!

[Caution]

46. did you see the word "probably" ? And for the record my FATHER

was a postal worker. I know for a FACT that this is not uncommon.

Why the HELL do so many folks NOT READ the posts they replay to? Such behavior is an INSULT to ALL WHO TAKE THE TIME TO POST!

For SHAME.

[novalib]

48. I Say It Was Probably NOT

a postal worker that opened the envelope.

And I say it was probably NOT a postal worker that took the money so that he/she could have a few extra dollars to spend.

I know what "probably" means.

I prefer to stand in solidarity with THE WORKERS -- and NOT say that they "probably" committed a FEDERAL CRIME and NOT say that the "proabably" stole some money.

I read your post.

[Caution]

53. Good for you. I choose to go by personal experience

and choose NOT to plunk a tinfoil hat onto my head and make the insane assumption that the government has started reading the mail of individuals (if only due to the sheer number of people such an operation would require and the FACT that they couldn't possibly keep that hidden).

It could have been anyone, but normal logic points to a postal worker since typically any letter is only ever handled by the sender, the recipient and postal workers. And the very idea that a very large amount people don't commit federal crimes EVERY single day is pretty laughable (ever download a video or a song from the internet? federal crime. Millions of people every day.)

[novalib]

55. I Do NOT Commit Federal Crimes!

I resent your implication that I have ever committed a Federal Crime!

[Caution]

59. Good for you. You are a rare one indeed.

Most Americans have. And most of them did it without even realizing they were doing it.

I know I did the few times I crossed state lines with some pot in my pocket. With the incredible amount of criminalization of behavior that has been legislated in the last 40ish years it's pretty hard to imagine there is anyone left. Kudos to you for your law abiding ways.

[eyesroll]

47. Occam's Razor.

Anyway -- I don't think anyone is assuming that it was a postal worker who did it...but they are offering that as a plausible explanation.

And think about it: which of these is the more likely scenario:

The National Security Administration, believing that the OP or his/her mother is a threat to national security, opened up some mail that appeared to be a birthday card. Even though the NSA could have seamlessly opened the envelope to investigate its contents, and just as seamlessly resealed it, leaving the OP none the wiser, they opted to tear it open at both ends, then reseal it in an obvious manner.

OR

Somebody at the post office decided to look for money.

Occam's Razor. I'm not saying Explanation #1 is impossible. I'm just saying #2 is more likely. Just because you are a progressive doesn't mean that there aren't dishonest workers in every career field in the world.

That said -- the OP should follow the procesure regarding tampered mail, if the mail has indeed been tampered with. Also, the OP should ask his/her mom if the damage to the envelope was there when she sent it -- lord knows I've sealed an envelope, realized I left something out, and nearly mangled it trying to open it up neatly.

[novalib]

49. You May Think that Explanation #2 Is More Likely

But if you do, then, in my view, you underestimate what * and his gang of thugs are trying to do.

They ARE NOT interested in opening the mail because they are interested in threats to the national security.

They are interested in controlling all of us through fear and intimidation.

That is why the envelope is obviously opened -- they want you to KNOW that they have opened your mail.

That way, they make you stop and think about anything you say in a letter.

It's all about CONTROL.

(That's also why I think it is a insult to think that a postal worker would open the envelope. It is FAR FAR more likely that it was opened by someone working for the regime!)

[Blue-Jay]

58. It's feeling a little tin-foiley in here.

A) It was a birthday card-sized envelope
B) Those sometimes contain cash
C) Postal workers are not always honest

or

D) It was probably an accident or a malfunction with the sorting machine. That happens.

[asthmaticeog]

60. I wish we could have smileys as subject lines...

...because this would suffice: :tinfoilhat:

[newportdadde]

52. Actually a POS machine probably ate it.

[Synnical]

38. Another DU'er posted on this yesterday

Received more pre-opened mail
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1195147&mesg_id=1195147

[dauphine]

39. Before you get too paranoid...

...it may not be the post office at ALL. We had our light bill check swiped when we put it out to BE mailed, and another letter taken before we GOT to the mail box to pick up mail. Who all has mailbox keys to your box? Check it out first--find out who has 'em to the nieghborhood drop mailbox, too, before you go blame the gov.

[lindisfarne]

41. If there's no money inside, it will be difficult to prove that your mother

actually put money in there (perhaps she really believes she did but simply forgot to do it - there's a reason why the USPS advises people to not mail cash (and I would add: gift cards, which are simply "hard cash".)

[bdamomma]

43. it just gets worse and worse

that is a federal offense to open mail.

[newportdadde]

50. A sorter machine probably tore it, it happens. Get some backbone and open

it already.

A nice postal employee having found your b-day card ripped then taped it back up for you and sent it on its way.

You do realize that postal employees make a pretty decent living and that they can be monitored anonymously at any time by postal inspectors. The odds of a postal employee ripping open your card for 10 bucks isn't very likely.

[novalib]

51. But It COULD Happen

and,k according to some here, a postal worker "probably" opened it and stole the money!

[newportdadde]

54. Would be interesting to know if the money is still there.

[aasleka]

56. They sort mail for a living

The guys working in the post office can recognize a credit card envelope instantly, they know what to open. Complain to the postmaster, make sure you speak with the postmaster even if you have to wait.

[soothsayer]

62. Open it, silly! how much money is supposed to be in there

anyway?

Cards have lousy glue, it could have come open on its own.