Post office pink card in mailbox? Suspicious questions?

[Fugu]

I got a decidedly un-official looking pink card in my mailbox. The gist of it is: we show this house as vacant, if you want your mail, say who lives here.

 

Odd, I've been here a month and have been getting mail no problem.

 

Odder: It asks if I have dogs, and their names

 

Yes, I'll call the post office, but they are closed now-- and I'm curious. Am I being paranoid?

 

Seems to me knowing about the dogs would be handy if you were planning on breaking and entering. No address, no USPS logo on the card, nothing. Seems a bit suspicious, no?

 

 

[skinny_tom (aka boney)]

I got a decidedly un-official looking pink card in my mailbox. The gist of it is: we show this house as vacant, if you want your mail, say who lives here.

 

Odd, I've been here a month and have been getting mail no problem.

 

Odder: It asks if I have dogs, and their names

 

Yes, I'll call the post office, but they are closed now-- and I'm curious. Am I being paranoid?

 

Seems to me knowing about the dogs would be handy if you were planning on breaking and entering. No address, no USPS logo on the card, nothing. Seems a bit suspicious, no?

 

 

Walk that card right down the the postmaster at your local office and ask the same questions there.

[Gregori]

It may very well be legit. The postal carrier may have noted that the house (which may indeed have been vacant before you arrived recently) is now getting mail. In order to prevent mail-fraud they'd like the occupant verification. The dog thing IS a bit odd, but I'd certainly talk to the local PO before I gave up any info.

 

A typical scam is to find an vacant house, use stolen CC info to order merchandise (and/or additional credit cards) sent to the empty home. The hoodlums can stop by and scoop up the ill-gotten goods at any time, and otherwise have no ties to the location. (Which in turn makes it pretty hard to catch them.)

[flars]

"...It may very well be legit. The postal carrier may have noted that the house (which may indeed have been vacant before you arrived recently) is now getting mail. In order to prevent mail-fraud they'd like the occupant verification..."

Except if a postal carrier ever leaves ANY notes it would be an official USPS form, and would never ask about animals. Federal law disallows putting anything in a mailbox except mail or USPS notifications.

[upflying]

What is the USPS form number on the card?

If it's legit it will be on the USPS website.

[Fugu]

There is no form number. Nothing identifies it as being from the USPS.

 

Edit; I mentioned this to a friend in Salem. They got a similar card, filled it out without thinking. they were burglarized a few weeks ago with their dogs home. The dogs were lured out of the gated backyard, and entry was through the back door. freaky coincidence? I'm sure that makes me sound more paranoid....

[tallman]

Yes, I want my mail.

 

Occupant.

James Hoffa.

 

Dogs?

Yes.

5 of them.

Killer, Maneater, People taste like chicken, rabid dingo, and when he's released from quarantine, this time, Cudjo.

 

 

[yabadabapal]

Make a few copies of it. Give one to the USPS, one to the local police, and keep the original. This sounds creeeeeeeepy.

[bimmers]

the Dog question may seem legit inorder to protect the postal workers when delivering mail but it would be on a form with a number etc.

Report it and get the guys behind bars or deported, if they are bad.

 

 

[yabadabapal]

http://www.usps.com/forms/allforms.htm

Gotta go to work but took a few minutes to find any type of exception that would validate a USPS form without a Postal Service form number. IT Doesn't exist. Every form on line or in hard copy has a form # at the bottom of the page. The USPS serves hundred of millions of people everyday. I am pretty sure they do not refer to the hundreds of forms they use everyday, by trying to describe the color, size, etc of the form. They use Form numbers. Good Catch on your part.

[Mike]

I got a decidedly un-official looking pink card in my mailbox. The gist of it is: we show this house as vacant, if you want your mail, say who lives here.

 

Odd, I've been here a month and have been getting mail no problem.

 

Odder: It asks if I have dogs, and their names

 

Yes, I'll call the post office, but they are closed now-- and I'm curious. Am I being paranoid?

 

Seems to me knowing about the dogs would be handy if you were planning on breaking and entering. No address, no USPS logo on the card, nothing. Seems a bit suspicious, no?

 

 

What are the instructions? Who are you supposed to contact? Number?

[donbmw]

Where is your mail box at. On your house or out by the steet. Ours is on the street the only time they leave anything by the door is for a package and then the dogs are still not a problem.

 

Don

[upflying]

If you can, scan it for us..blocking out your address of course. Probably some current or former USPS employees here who can give an opinion. Definitely contact the Postal Inspectors, probably other victims to this scam too.

[AviP]

Walk that card right down the the postmaster at your local office and ask the same questions there.

+1 on that. And when you find out if it's fake, notify your neighbors of the scam.

[Fugu]

The box is out by the street by itself. the card has no number on it. Instructions are to leave in the mailbox. No address on it no phone number on it- nothing. I am going to the post office in the morning and will let y'all know what I find out. I can scan it at work too.

 

I came home this afternoon and found the mailbox open. Obviously, no usps service on Sunday.looks like I'll b forwarding all my mail to my office tomorrow as well.

[Groanup]

If you have any neighbors you trust, you might want to have them keep an eye out for anything strange going on at your house. Let them know you are NOT moving or expecting any large deliveries.

 

This doesn't sound even a little legit to me...

Good luck.

[Mike]

The box is out by the street by itself. the card has no number on it. Instructions are to leave in the mailbox. No address on it no phone number on it- nothing. I am going to the post office in the morning and will let y'all know what I find out. I can scan it at work too.

 

I came home this afternoon and found the mailbox open. Obviously, no usps service on Sunday.looks like I'll b forwarding all my mail to my office tomorrow as well.

 

Though this may sound like a broken record at this point, make sure to report this to the USPS right away. I'd be surprised if they didn't assign it to their Postal Inspectors to investigate who's behind this.

[Fugu]

Yeah, I will talk to the neighbors (should have done that today...) I'm on a busy street,too. My landlord's work shop is out back on the lot behind me, his guys drive up the dirt road next to my place pretty regularly during the day getting to and from the shop building. I'll let him know to alert his guys, too.

 

Depending on what they tell me at the post office I might let the local cops know what's going on. I'll be around over the holidays so that's good. Every year seems like there's a rash of thefts on the holidays. They come here and I'll just have reinforcements. My mom is a force to be reckoned with when she's wielding a big wooden spoon.

 

 

 

[Woodie]

My mom is a force to be reckoned with when she's wielding a big wooden spoon.

Note to self: Call ahead when visiting Fugu.

[Quinn]

My mom is a force to be reckoned with when she's wielding a big wooden spoon.

Note to self: Call ahead when visiting Fugu.

 

Maybe they should have added "Name of Mom" on their pink form.

 

 

[MattS]

It asks if I have dogs, and their names

Maybe they're holding mail addressed to your dogs.

[JayW]

It asks if I have dogs, and their names

Maybe they're holding mail addressed to your dogs.

 

:rofl:

[Fugu]

Post office manager says it's legit. I asked why nothing to ID it, why no form #? He confirmed that it should have all those things and apologized.

 

He said they want dog names in case the dogs attack then the carrier can call them off. Mmmkay. I have my doubts that would be remembered but maybe they have a list in the car.

 

I guess y'all are safe to drop by unannounced again. Well, safe as you ever were.

 

 

[Fugu]

It asks if I have dogs, and their names

Maybe they're holding mail addressed to your dogs.

 

My old dog Maggie was in a record club and got credit card offers. Sure, she had a human sounding name.... But I used to put the other dog's name on stuff I figured would generate junk. As a result, Sweetpea used to get lots of offers for car insurance.

[Nice n Easy Rider]

It asks if I have dogs, and their names

Maybe they're holding mail addressed to your dogs.

 

My old dog Maggie was in a record club and got credit card offers. Sure, she had a human sounding name.... But I used to put the other dog's name on stuff I figured would generate junk. As a result, Sweetpea used to get lots of offers for car insurance.

With a name like Sweetpea I'm surprised that she didn't get offers for more than insurance.