What to do if someone uses your address without permission?

Your personal information, including your home address, is easily accessible online.

If you frequently receive mail not addressed to you, it could be more than an error—it might be mail fraud, a growing issue due to the widespread availability of your data. This puts you at risk for financial loss, identity theft, and other crimes.

But there’s good news:

You can stop unwanted mail now and prevent future issues.

And we’re about to show you how.

Updated on: July 30, 2024

What to do if someone is using your address

Here is what to do:

1. Establish if it’s a mistake, a scam, or attempted address fraud.
2. If it’s a mistake: (1) return the letter back to the sender or (2) inform the sender about the mistake.
3. If it’s a scam: (1) toss it out, (2) refuse the letter, or (3) report it to the USPS.
4. If it’s fraud: (1) report it to the USPS and (2) report it to the police.

Now let’s go about it in more detail.

How to keep someone from finding your home address

You can refuse unwanted mail addressed to you.

But your mailing address is still out there, exposed for future exploits.

Fortunately, there’s a simple solution—delete your data from the internet.

You can go about this on your own—here’s our step-by-step guide.

But, as the number of these sites reaches the hundreds, be prepared for a lengthy process.

Alternatively, let the professionals handle it for you

Consider signing up with Incogni—a dedicated service for removing personal data.

When you subscribe, we’ll work on your behalf, demanding the removal of your personal information from over 160 data brokers.

Don’t let anyone use your address without your permission ever again.

Someone is using my address without my permission: a guide

We’ve got the future taken care of.

Let’s focus on the present.

You keep receiving unwanted mail.

What to do?

Start by determining whether it’s a mix-up or a potential attempt at fraud.

Look out for these signs:

If you ticked any of the above, something bad might be cooking.

To better understand, examine the most common types of mail fraud and see if any apply to your situation.

Doing this can give you a clue as to whether the mail you’ve received is an honest mistake or the intentional misuse of your address.

Now, there are four courses of action you can take:

1. Return or refuse unwanted mail that’s addressed to you
2. Contact the sender to let them know they have an outdated address
3. Report potential mail fraud to the Post Office
4. Alert other authorities, such as the police, about possible federal crimes.

See which option below suits you best.

1. Return or refuse the mail that was sent to you without your permission

Returning mail to the sender is likely your best bet when the mail you receive was obviously sent in error.

Head to your local Post Office and tell them you wish to return a mailpiece because the intended recipient doesn’t live at your address.

Or, if it’s more convenient, drop the envelope into the mailbox for outgoing mail.

Important: Be sure to write “not at this address” on the envelope or package.

This action lets the Post Office know that the person they’re trying to reach isn’t at your address and should help prevent the same mistake in the future.

Similarly, you can refuse a letter.

It’s best to do it at the point of delivery—this way, you can save yourself plenty of time.

If you’ve already accepted the package or a carrier left it at your doorstep, you can still refuse it—just check the “refused” option on the delivery notice.

Important: Keep in mind that you can only refuse unopened packages.

If you’ve opened it, don’t worry—you can still send it back—but you’ll need to repackage and address it, and cover the costs of mailing it yourself.

2. Contact companies that are sending you someone else’s mail

If the problem continues and you see that the sender is a legitimate business or institution—contact them.

Let them know that the person they’re trying to reach does not reside at your address.

Companies may still rely on outdated customer databases—this is particularly relevant if you live in a rental property.

By addressing the error, you might be doing someone a big favor, especially if the misdirected mail is important.

Not so keen on contacting companies? We get it—here’s a template you can use:

Dear [Company Name], I am writing to inform you that I have received mail that was incorrectly sent to my address.   The mail is intended for [Recipient’s Name] and bears my address, which is [Your Address]. However, no individual by that name resides at this location. I ask that my address is cleared of any association with [Recipient’s Name]. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. Sincerely, [Your Name]

You can copy–paste it and fill in the blanks.

3. Report a mail scam to the Post Office Inspection Service

Here are some steps you can take if you believe you’re the target of a mail scam and want to stop it.

File a report to the US Postal Inspection Service—an arm of the United States Postal Service that deals with fraudulent activities involving postal services.

There are various types of postal crimes:

• Mail fraud: If someone attempts to scam you, report the mail fraud here.
• Identity theft: If someone uses your personal information to impersonate you, report the identity theft here.
• Suspicious mail: If you suspect that the contents of the mail could be harmful, such as containing dangerous substances, report the suspicious mail here.

However, these are not the only crimes under the jurisdiction of the US Postal Inspection Service.

If you feel your case doesn’t quite fit any of the above, look at this list of postal crimes. 

4. Alert the authorities that someone is using your home address fraudulently

Now—

If you start receiving legal documents, such as bank statements, medical records, parking tickets, or DMV records addressed to someone else, there’s a high chance you’re a victim of address fraud.

These practices can be used to establish residency, evade authorities, or extort money and could even result in you being held responsible for someone else’s debts.

If you suspect this is happening to you, report address fraud to the police.

Not only will this initiate an investigation, but reporting it to the police can also be used in your defense if your address is implicated in a crime without your knowledge.

Conversely, failing to report it could be grounds for someone to question the plausibility of your denial and hold you accountable for someone else’s criminal actions.

How to stop receiving unwanted mail

You can never be sure that no more junk or fraudulent mail will be sent to you.

But you can take control when it does.

Informed Delivery by USPS is a service that notifies you whenever a letter or package is addressed to you.

With this service, you can quickly determine whether a mailpiece is something you’re expecting or if it’s a potential scam—and deal with it before it ever reaches you.

This won’t prevent someone from using your address but will help you mitigate the consequences.

But don’t stop there.

Stacking it all up

What to do if someone uses your address without permission?

• Start by returning or refusing the unwanted mail and write “not at this address” on the envelope.
• If the mail you’re getting comes from a legitimate business, consider contacting them directly and informing them that someone is using your address.
• If someone uses your address to scam you—report it to the US Inspection Service or the police.
• To minimize the chances of having your address used again—remove your data from the internet.

There you have it—a compact tutorial on how to stop someone from using your address.

FAQ