Legal Question in Consumer Law in Georgia

Mail Fraud?
I don't know what area of law this falls. A company(going under several names) has been using our company's address for about 2 years. We've been at our location for about 5 or 6 years and we are not associated with the same industry. I tried locating them through telephone books, directory assistance, the post office, and the Internet. When we received mail from Internal Revenue, I contacted them to no avail. The Internal Revenue kept sending mail and we kept returning it until they finally stopped. The post office said it was nothing they could do but agreed to hold the mail from being delivered to us. That was last year and this year I tried to re-establish those terms with the post office but still receive mail for this particular company. I've sent faxes or made telephone calls to the senders of mail (if brochures were mailed) and asked them to remove our address from their mailing list and to contact the company to get their correct address. What can we do to stop or report this company?

Asked on 4/20/06, 1:52 pm

2 Answers from Attorneys

Scott Riddle Law Office of Scott B. Riddle, LLC

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Re: Mail Fraud?

You can notify the senders and the Post Office, or write "not at this address" on mail and drop it in the box, and notify people like the IRS just to be safe. You may want to call the local police and report it to them. Junk mail can be tossed. You don't provide any facts on which to conclude someone is currently, and intentionally, using your company's address (as opposed to a former occupant, mistake etc.). I still get a former occupant's mail after several years. Check the Sec. of State website for company names, if you have not done so.

You should make sure your incoming mail is secure (should be anyway).

The bottom line is that while it is a good idea to investigate and try to solve the problem, it does not seem to directly harm your company other than the inconvenience. I can't imagine it would be a good idea to "get a lawyer and sue" merely because you are getting someone else's mail. You report it and leave it to the proper agency to resolve. There may be a time to consult a lawyer, but I can't imagine paying an hourly fee to chase down a mysterious company and, if you can find them, file a civil lawsuit because you are getting mail.

Answered on 4/23/06, 11:35 am

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