Someone is using my address, what can I do?

You should talk to your local Postmaster about this.

In a very simple way, you could file a Change Of Address form with the Postal Service requesting “return” of any mail not sent to you by your own name. (That won’t help with bulk mail, but it will stop First Class mail addressed “to others” from being left in your box.)

But I’m questioning here whether you’re simply receiving mail that was sent to a prior resident at your address. I still receive mail occasionally addressed to the people I bought my home from – 8 years ago! – and even to residents prior to them!

@WasCy GA and you’re right, we still get mail for the people who lived here over 7 years ago too. @sharpstick All you can do is tell your local sorting office honey, also if you’ve been contacted by the Sheriff’s Department, it might be worth contacting them directly and explaining the matter to them? hope you get it sorted honey <hugs> xx

I am still receiving tax forms for the prior owner of the house, and we bought the house twenty years ago!

@wundayatta

Ben Franklin would have had another item for his list: death and taxes and those goddamn forms in the mail.

Since I’ve been filing via tax software and printing my own forms and returns, at least that has fallen off, anyway.

@WasCy The Post Office should not be deliverying any mail that is not addressed to the name of record anyway. Call or contact them and file a complaint about these postal deliveries. When you get one, circle the name and write not at this address and leave it in your mailbox for them to take.
I would also call the local authorities (police, sheriff, etc) and explain it so you are not blindsided.
What kind of mailbox and area do you live? Is it rural and a streetside mailbox? Ifso, keep an eye on it to ensure nobody is going into your mailbox. Again, a chat with the supervisor who handles your postal area should do the trick.

You might check to see if the person is a felon or on probation. If so, contact his probation officer and ask them if he has your address registered.

Mistakes in police raids can cause tragedies.

My sisters daughters thug baby daddy even tried to register to vote at her address. She thinks he is trying to establish a paper trail so if they try to have him arrested for trespassing when he breaks in he can say it’s his home. Creepy stuff as this guy is a dangerous gang banger.

I live in a student’s residence of 15 persons. About ¼th of the mail we receive is addressed to people who no longer live here…

Reading through the question, though, it doesn’t look like it’s from a prior resident, as this supposedly only happened since recently.

@Judi You could be right about this. One of my best friend’s daughters has been in prison twice and now that she’s out again, she (the daughter) has had a string of thuggy, on parole or currently in jail boyfriends. She has 3 kids by 3 different baby daddy’s (2 of which have recently been in jail) The cops are at my friend’s house at least once a month.

The OP, could if they are so inclined, phone each of the magazines to let them know that they are coming to the wrong house, but that would only be if they enjoy talking to customer service reps on the phone (something I don’t mind doing). And I agree with everyone about contacting the postmaster.

I haven’t read through all the posts above. If it hasn’t been mentioned yet, get a credit report – from all three agencies. If they are using your address, they might be trying to use your credit, too.

Evidently, I owned a house just outside of Chicago! That was a mess!

You should also check your bank and credit card statements. If they have your address, they may very well have your banking information.

Receiving someone else’s mail is not fun. When I first moved in, I started receiving the previous tenants’ mail for several months. Some of it was good stuff but the rest was junk. I just threw it away, technically it’s the post office’s and mailman’s responsibility to forward the mail to the correct address.

my dad recently went to a store and when asked for his rewards card he had them check for one by my moms name because he figured she might have one. so they can only find one person with the same last name as us and their name is Gomez (who we do not know, and have never heard of before) HOWEVER his name is linked to my moms email address, as well as our home address. and the girl at the store said she remembers pulling that name up a couple times and that she thinks the guy comes into the store frequently. also, we bought our house from the man who built it, so hes not a previous owner or anything like that. I also looked him up on white pages and it came up with my home phone number and address and it said he may know an “Adam C (last name)” so I clicked on it and it came up with the phone umber and address again as well as my dads real name, Adam E (last name). There were also Angela (last name) and Steven M (last name) who had my phone number and home address listed. these people have never lived in my house! what do I do?

This is happening to me. Fugative Task force banged on my door at 2:45 AM. Incredible they go by magazine subscriptions with no other checking! 3 cars in driveway, public records would show we owned house for over 20 years and cops live next door. You would think they would do more recon! Next week…new subscriptions to person with last name they are looking for!
I am just waiting for the banging on the door.

How do I stop using our address for tax returns and voting registration for someone who moved out of this house 9 y ago? She still proves to the Police that she and her husband lives here while they are renting somewhere else…

@Janina4plus/
This sounds like vote tampering. That’s a big deal. First, I’d notify my landlord. He might want to know. Many landlords insist on knowing the full age and name of everyone living in that house. Then take a copy of your rental agreement down to the police station and to voters’ registration. Show them that YOU are living there, not this other person. I’d also make a point of getting a locking mailbox. If you inherited a locking mailbox from someone else, get the lock changed.

Let us know how it goes.