Letters addressed to someone else

fritzelly

A month ago and again today I have received two letters from Vodafone - two different names, one Asian and the other an English name

I fear the address is being used for fraud because to get two in a month is highly suspicious.

What can be done? Can I advise An Post to make sure all post is delivered and not handed over to someone just standing outside the door.

I don't want bailiffs showing up at the door

Jim_Hodge

Just throw them in a post box marked "unknown at this address, return to sender" and forget about it.

fritzelly

And if I start getting more letters under different names?

gipi

I've been doing the "return to sender" since I moved to my current home - I'm getting mail for the 2nd last owner (gone from the house at least 6 years).

I doubt the mail even gets back to the sender.

OP, I suggest you put the mail into a new envelope and post it to Vodafone - at least it'll get to them. What they might do is another story!

fritzelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119988585#Comment_119988585

I know the name of the previous occupant - been here over 10 years, this is all new names

Hobgoblin11

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119988593#Comment_119988593

may be some scam using your address, how legal is it to open one of two to make sure they dont contain anything dangerous?

fritzelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119988603#Comment_119988603

Was reading up on it and seems ok to open if you have suspicion of fraud

Hobgoblin11

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119988608#Comment_119988608

makes sense, could be drugs or anything

Augme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119988633#Comment_119988633

Do Vodafone post out drugs now? Might be time to switch from Three is so...

golondrinas

This is a well known scam. They order a phone at an address ( usually when occupier has left) and they know the place is at least temporarily vacant. Get to know the approximate time of postal delivery. Probably have paid 25 euros or so on high end phone. Meet the postman at the door and presto, phone in hand no more costly monthly repayments. This was explained to me by a postal manager a few years ago. Probably delivery tightened up by now.

Atlantic Dawn

I received a similar looking letter over a year ago, I returned it to Vodafone, didn't hear anything else about it. The only thing I could think at the time was someone typed in my Eircode in error when filling in some form and didn't check the actual address against where they wanted it to go to. I assumed the photo ID and proof of address they look for when setting up new bill phone accounts would have closed down that possibility of a scam but perhaps they are bypassing this shortly after paperwork signed.

witchgirl26

It could be a scam or it could be someone putting the wrong letter or number in an Eircode resulting in this. I regularly get texts about deliveries from DHL but these are genuine & the guy just keeps typing 1 number wrong in his phone number when ordering from Apple.

Just continually write "return to sender, person unknown at this address" on the envelope & stick it back in. If it's Vodafone, they'll deal with it on their end.

Victor

I think the EirCode thing is unlikely - only a small percentage of EirCodes are valid. Getting 1 character wrong will at minimum give a very different address and potentially a blank.

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990507#Comment_119990507

The most common Eircode error is a numeric entered incorrectly and it usually does refer to an address elsewhere.

OP just return the post and forget about it.

NUTLEY BOY

There are scams that operate around false addresses i.e. the addresses do not exist or are a valid address but the owner/occupier has nothing to do with the fraudsters.

My inclination would be as follows ;

1. Do not open the letter,
2. Mark the original envelope "not known at this address" and "return to sender",
3. Then photograph every one of these lost warrior envelopes and
4. Put the letter(s) in a post box.

This way you create some cover for yourself in the unlikely event of a call from Gardai following an evidence trail that includes your address.

johnsparkexile

An elderly relation of mine, also received a Vodafone letter a number of months ago addressed to someone with a foreign name. Her house had been unoccupied for nearly a year following a long stay in hospital and she had only recently returned home when it arrived. Address and post code all correct. Relation had seen a man walk up the path to her front door the day before leaving again without knocking. Post box is external beside door. I opened the letter which was the persons bill, only 1 number ever rang from the phone, dialled it, never got an answer.

Brought it to the Vodafone shop in town and explained that this individual didn't live at the address and could they check it out. Was told that they had no record of the person. There was a name, address and account number on the letter but the assistant was adamant that there was nothing on their records that matched. Told me that sometimes people with a bad credit history or who are homeless give a false address to sign up.

Tried web chatting on the Vodafone website with a representative an hour of my life that I'll never get back, utterly useless.

Second letter arrived a few weeks later, wife brought it to the guards, explained the situation, i.e. elderly vulnerable person worried. Told her they'd increase patrols in the area for a few weeks which they did. Nothing since.

NUTLEY BOY

Just heard about a UK variation on the scam involving people setting up false companies.

The so-called companies are registered with Companies House to make them apparently legitimate. A false address is given with the registration. The address is real but false in the sense that it has nothing to do with the owner or occupier.

The trick is that some of these new companies open bank accounts and get loans and credit quite quickly. Eventually, letters will arrive seeking repayment of debts due but there is no trail to follow thanks to the fraud. Apparently, some innocent householders may even get a visit from bailiffs on the sniff i.e. no court order.

What is worse is that the householders whose addresses were used have to go to through a formal process to have their address formally disconnected from the so-called company.