backlash from my ltte?

[ellenfl]

i wrote an ltte about * and the 4th amendment which was published on christmas day in my local paper. my mother thinks that ltte may be the cause of a current predicament and i wanted to see if anyone else (especially in south florida) has experienced this.

since january, i have been receiving mail addressed to my street address, without the unit number and to my last name but wrong first and middle initial. in fact the mail is addressed to "G.W. (my last name here)". it looks like my address could have been taken from the phone book which does not include apartment numbers, just the street address. anyway, i have been receiving magazines by the boatload. so far, i would say i (or actually 'g.w.') have been signed up for 20 magazine subscriptions. the first couple that came in, i just called the publisher but then i got flooded so i called the post office. someone is subscribing to magazines in my (almost) name.

has anyone else had this happen?

ellen fl

[newscott]

1. Sounds like backlash to me.

Any good magazines?

[IdaBriggs]

2. No, but someone has committed postal fraud, and that is NOT a good idea.

Report them. NOBODY messes with the post office. NOBODY. :)

[madokie]

15. my neighbor started getting mail in my box with my address on them

they never received one of the letters though, I wrote this person does not live at this address on the envelope and sent them back to the sender, haven't got any in the last month or so. I asked the post master about this and was told if it had my address on it they had to deliver it so that was when I done what I had to do. The post master told me that no law was broken, though.

[NewJeffCT]

3. Interesting...

My wife got an unsolicited subscription to Playboy... I was if it was in response to a LTTE I wrote? The only place that has her Americanized name is in the phone book. (And, no I did not order the subscription... while I like looking at beautiful women, I prefer them live and not in a magazine)

[Sammy Pepys]

4. What kind of magazines?

I can't see why anyone would do that, honestly. Magazine subscriptions cost money.

[I Have A Dream]

7. Unless it's a "bill me later" type of situation. n/t

[central scrutinizer]

9. it was probably on one of those "bill me later" cards

that are blown into every magazine. They didn't have to spend anything but you will get a lot of bills from the publishers and it could have negative effects on your credit score.

[ellenfl]

31. not without my ssn. the name is clearly not mine but i may

have trouble if this person attaches my social security number to the subscriptions.

ellen fl

[myrna minx]

10. It doesn't cost any money to send in those little cards

that say "bill be later." Yeah--I'd say that someone is giving you blowback. Nice--someone doesn't agree with you and their instinct is to commit mail fraud. Welcome to bu$hworld. :eyes:

[Sammy Pepys]

14. aha...hadn't thought of that...n/t

...

[madokie]

5. enjoy the magazines if you like them, Write refused and put them in the

outbox if you don't. The post office has to send them back to the sender and they have to pay the postage, by law. So actually you are in a win - win situation, that is if any of the mag's are to your liking if not just in a win situation.

[MindPilot]

18. It not a win-win; the OP will be billed shortly.

Just call the subscription number in the front page of the magazine and tell them you didn't order the subscription. Many magazines are distributed by the same circulation company, so you may be able to cancel several of them with one call.

[madokie]

20. just write refused on the mags or bills and send them back to sender

I've posted on this several times this morning. but one more time. write refused, or return to sender on the mag or bill and they, the post office will by law have to send said mail back with the original sender picking up the tab. Talk to your postmaster, my postmaster is the one who told me about this years ago when someone ordered a magazine subscribtion for me. If you did not order it and it comes to you it is yours free, simple, talk to the postmaster if you don't believe me, not just someone on the other end of the line and ask specific questions. I kid you not.

[MindPilot]

23. That's not necessarily true

I went through this a couple of years ago, and actually had to get a lawyer involved to get out of a book club thing that someone had signed me up for. If whatever they send you is unsolicited, then it's yours. But, if someone else orders it, then that's fraud and the company is just as much a victim as you are. Frankly I wanted to keep all the nice gardening books I thought I was getting for free, but I ended up having to send them all back and pay for shipping to get out of the contract someone else has entered into in my name. Legally that was considered unjust enrichment; I was taking advantage of the act of fraud committed against another.

[madokie]

26. I know for what I say, having been a postal clerk in the Navy

I knew what my basic rights were and asked the questions and did not repeat did not have to get a lawyer involved nor send anything back. read my other posts

[ellenfl]

32. are you saying that there are other threads with this subject? eom

[AllegroRondo]

33. theres another thread about credit card offers

with similar discussion

[Democrats_win]

6. Sounds like identity theft if they did this in your name. It's a crime.

[tjwash]

8. In Helena MT...

...They actually publish the names and addresses of the writers of every letter that gets published in their paper.

I don't know about anyone else, but I just don't like the idea of giving anyone who reads my opinion, and may be a little mentally unstable about it a map to my front door.

[MindPilot]

11. Yes...happened to me.

I never thought to tie it to getting an LTTE published, but now that I think about it...

I suddenly started getting all kinds of magazines, everything from the Advocate to Popular Science--even Playboy and then the payment notices started coming in. I had to call for each one and tell them I didn't order the subscription. They never gave me any argument so I suspect this is a fairly common thing they deal with.

[CrispyQ]

12. It certainly could be!

I hate to admit, I did that once to a co-worker who lied to the boss about something regarding me. :blush:

[donco6]

13. I don't doubt it.

Sounds like some childish retribution to me.

[Warpy]

16. Yes, it's juvenile, petty revenge from a right winger.

First, change your phone number. Pay that $3/month to be unlisted and unpublished. I know it's a PIA, but it has other benefits, like a sharp reduction in nuisance calls from telemarketers. Your harasser will think you've moved.

Alerting the post office is the first step, that somebody is committing fraud. They don't have the staff to track it down, but you need that paper trail.

Alert the police that somebody is committing mail fraud. You might also file a report with the local FBI office, since they're the ones who would do the investifation. Get as much of a paper trail as you can.

Alert the magazines that somebody is committing mail fraud, that it's NOT your name or your full address, cancel those subscriptions.

You want to do this through the legal system. Attacking it directly will result in escalation, and you'll find yourself with multiple pizza deliveries and a mailbox full of kiddie porn. Get that paper trail.

Ignoring bullies doesn't work. Whoever is doing this is barely falling into the definition of STALKER. You have laws on your side. Use them.

[bliss_eternal]

22. ...and it wouldn't hurt to file a police report.

This could also be considered identity theft. Though the person doing this may not be using your name to get things for themselves--they could be. Those that investigate identity theft frown on those that would pretend to be anyone else for ANY reason--it's taken VERY seriously.

Like Warpy said you need a paper trail that leads back to these assholes. But it also helps YOU when you've filed the appropriate reports within proper channels. This says no one had your permission to order magazine subscriptions in your name, by using your address or your initials. That is pretending to be you--which is a crime.

Keep us posted on how it goes. I'm so sorry you are going through this. As one that has had my identity stolen, it's a huge pain in the ass to deal with, but worthwhile to ensure it won't happen again.

[sui generis]

17. oh yeah!

some enterprising person picked up my work IP address from a post and now my Postini account is stopping dozens of freak subscriptions a day - has been for almost two years.

I even had our IT director ask me about it - but he says that's why we use Postini.

[mainegreen]

19. I keep getting magazines addressed to 'No Humanity'.

Right address, but seriously, 'No Humanity'? The demands for payment are hilarious! 'Dear No Humanity'!

Seriously, just check your credit report. If the bills don't show up there, enjoy the magazines. Their yours free by law!

[MindPilot]

21. They are not necessarily your free by law

that would be true if the publisher sends you an unsolicited subscription. But if someone else orders it in your name, then you are on the hook for it.

Those kinds of things rarely end up on credit reports, no matter how much they may threaten because it isn't credit; you didn't borrow to buy it.

What will happen if you don't either pay or cancel is it will go to a collection agency, and those guys will bug you for-freakin-ever.

[madokie]

24. here's another little tidbit concerning this

About 10 years ago someone ordered in my wifes name a hardback book on dieting or something like that, the bill came in the mail the same day but they made a mistake and included an 800 number. I called and talked to the person to explain that we didn't order the book, theY not being able to confirm we did. I was told they would send the packaging to return the book and to repackage it and send it back. I told them that because we did not order the book that made it mine now and that I would use the packaging material as kindling too. Kindling, whats that I was asked, something that if you have a wood stove you use to start the fire with, I replied. Never got the packaging material, another bill, zilch and the book was what I used to build several fires with until it was gone and loving every minute of it too.

[MindPilot]

28. LOL!! They didn't know what is kindling?!

Ya know sometimes it's almost fun to have these kinds of problems just for the entertainment value!! :D

[madokie]

29. sure it is.

[AllegroRondo]

34. If you receive something by mail that you did not order

it is considered a gift.

[madokie]

36. thats a fact.

[pinellas]

25. Might it be the paper....

...selling names to 1 of those 'mailbox advertising' co.s?

& what is ltte, please?

[ellenfl]

27. ltte = letter to the editor eom

[ellenfl]

30. initially, i called the subscription office of the

magazines i received, then i talked to the post office who said to write 'not at this address' on the magazines and bills and send them back. those magazines that i called told me to keep the mags as gifts and they cancelled the subscription. the only magazine titles i remember are field and stream and rolling stone.

i considered identity theft but if that was the case, the magazines would not have been delivered to me, just the bills, i guess. anyway, i immediately ordered one of my credit reports and will order another in a couple of months, just to be sure.

the post office immediately took this problem off my hands. well, first they started delivering the magazines to my mother who has the same last name and lives on my street. her first and middle initial are not 'g.w.' either. however, those ARE our pResident's initals. that's why i thought it might be harassment.

yesterday, i got a magazine (u.s. news and world review, which my boyfriend used to get here but in his name only) that was properly addressed but that i did not order. i called and was told that the order was placed through one of those card inserts. i have no idea where that one came from. my mother, who is a cynic, thinks someone at my condo is behind all this. i hope the u.s news subscription wasn't intended as a gift from a well-meaning (but misguided) friend or sibling!

is the concensus here that i should report to the police or fbi? not sure what they can do but field and stream did give me an address to send a letter to find out where the scrip came from.

btw, the paper that ran my ltte is the palm beach post. has anyone else writen an ltte to the post and had anything stange happen afterwards?

ellen fl

[skids]

35. Buy the book "revenge by mail"

Read it and take any steps possible to defend yourself.