Is it a federal crime to open someone else's mail? 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.
A federal statute known as 18 USC Section 1702 makes it illegal to open correspondence addressed to someone else.
Notify this neighbor, “This has happened twice now. We look at all the mail that lands in our box very carefully and make sure it is ours before opening it. We expect you to be as careful with our mail as we are with yours. This is a serious violation of our privacy, and we hope it doesn't happen again.”
A person's mail is their private property, and delivery to the wrong address doesn't change that. The U.S. takes postal crimes seriously, and opening, tampering with, or destroying mail that isn't yours can potentially land you in a lot of legal trouble.
No, he can't do that. If you had a mailbox on post office property, or on common areas in your community, only authorized persons can move it. He could actually be charged with a misdemeanor for moving a mailbox without permission.
Mailboxes are considered federal property, protected by rules set by the United States Postal Service. Because of this, only authorized persons (mail carriers and the owner of the property of the mailbox) are legally allowed to place things into and retrieve items from the mailbox.
Set up mailbox permissions
You can allow a user to read emails from the mailbox, send emails on behalf of another user, and send emails as if they were sent from that mailbox. Permissions can only be set up within the current organization.
The Mailbox Restriction Law
Anyone else who opens the box or puts anything inside of it is a criminal act. The U.S. Postal Service explains that "by law, a mailbox is intended only for receipt of postage-paid U.S. Mail."
Provided there is no malicious intent, the legal system typically does not treat the accidental opening of another person's mail as a criminal act. However, intentionally misusing mail belonging to someone else may fall under obstruction of correspondence, mail tampering or mail fraud.
Because it's your land and it is affixed to your land, it legally belongs to you. Thus, if he refuses to move the mailbox, you can remove it from your property yourself. You don't need to call a lawyer or the post office unless the post office put it there rather than your neighbor or the builder.
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 remarkably easy to find yourself charged with this crime, even if you didn't mean to do anything wrong.
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.
The most effective way to stop receiving mail for previous residents or strangers is to talk to your local Post Office. Most of the time, you'll be able to quickly resolve any issues by listing your household members as the only people who should receive mail at your address.
Under the mailbox rule, an offer is considered accepted the moment the offeree mails their letter, rather than when the offeror receives the letter in the mail. The mailbox rule also applies to other means of communication, such as a fax, telegram, or email, provided that it is irrevocable once sent.
To report mail fraud to The U.S. Postal Inspection Service online, you may fill out and submit the Mail Fraud Complaint Form . You may also call the U.S. Postal Inspection Service hotline at 1-800-372-8347 to file a complaint about suspected mail fraud.
Additionally, avoid placing flyers inside mailboxes, as this is prohibited under federal law in the U.S. unless they are sent through the U.S. Postal Service with proper postage.
Everyone with torn statements should file a complaint with USPS.” Informed Delivery is a tool anyone can sign up for to get emailed images of the mail that's expected to arrive.
The Federal Government has stated it is not legal to open another 'adult' persons mail without their explicit consent (such as in a wife opening a husbands or vice versa, a secretary opening the mail addressed to her boss, neighbor under your direction while your on vacation, etc...)
The question of opening someone else's mail is addressed by Section 1708 of the United States Code, Title 18. According to this code, opening, destroying, or hiding mail addressed to another person is a federal crime.
"No part of a mail receptacle may be used to deliver any matter not bearing postage, including items or matter placed upon, supported by, attached to, hung from, or inserted into a mail receptacle.
Once you install your mailbox, and it is ready for the receipt of mail, you effectively lease your mailbox to the federal government for the service of mail delivery.
Opening someone else's mail is not only unethical but also illegal in most jurisdictions.
Assuming a USPS-compliant mailbox is installed and ready for use, it's considered federal property. In other words, the homeowner doesn't legally own his or her mailbox; it's the property of the U.S. government.
An Abuse Mailbox is the destination of user-reported suspicious emails sent to IT and security teams for further evaluation. It's a crucial part of tracking and stopping potential email threats.