Unwanted mail

[MooseMom]

Somehow my name and address got onto a mailing list for an organization of which I do NOT approve.  They keep sending me surveys and requests for money.  The reason this bothers me is that this organization is racist.

My postal carrier happens to be African American.  She is very nice and I like her a lot.  She has been our mail carrier for about 18 months now. 

I received yet another one of this organization's survey today.  The name of that organization, and the name of its leader, is boldly printed on the face of the giant envelope. 

It upsets me very much to think that there is any possibility at all that my mail carrier may think that I am willingly and happily receiving this trash from this group.

(We have also received the occasional phone call from this group.  I've never answered because I can see who they are from the caller ID.)

I want this to stop.

Should I just send the survey back to them with my name and address crossed out and replaced by the word "Deceased", or something like that?

Any ideas?

Thank you.

[Simon Dog]

If there is a postage paid reply envelope, use it to cost them money and send a "take me off your list".

If the mail is first class, write "delivery refused" and it will be returned.   You are wasting you time doing that if it is "standard mail" (formerly called bulk rate).

The surveys are always bogus - no matter which side sends them.   They appear to think you are stupid enough to have them ask Democrats "should we tax more?" or Republicans "should we build a wall?" and have them think anyone will actually care what their so-called "survey" comes out with.

[iolaire]

Take the next call and discuss how to be taken off the list. Or mail a physical letter with the request.

[lulu836]

Take the next call and discuss how to be taken off the list. Or mail a physical letter with the request.

The only thing that will accomplish is verifying beyond any doubt for them  that they have they have reached their target's correct name and address.  Put something heavy in the return envelope and send it back registered mail. 

[kristina]

Sorry MooseMom that you have to go through such a disagreeable experience...
... I would first of all ask your postal carrier what she would do to successfully stop such unwanted mail ... be assured, they know a lot about unwanted postage and how to "get rid of it" as soon as possible...
An added idea could be to send a sharp letter to this racist organisation, explaining, how much you disagree with their thinking and how much it bothers you to receive letters from them, because you don't want anything to do with them in the first place and you could add, that you have been advised to get the police (FBI ?) involved. That should "do the trick"...
You could also write to the FBI and ask them about this matter... I have been reading that they are very keen to be informed about racist organisations ...
Good luck wishes from Kristina.

P.S. Since writing the above I have been wondering whether there could perhaps be a possibility that you and your husband are being targeted and someone wants to "prove" that you really belong to this organisation and the prove is that you are on their mailing-list?

[Simon Dog]

Keep in mind that the US Snail service keeps a scan of the exterior of all mail sent to you (you can sign up for the USPS "informed delivery" service and get an email each morning showing what is on the way).    If any law enforcement agency decides to profile you, the complete record of all of these scans is available without a warrant (It's called a "mail cover").    So if you plan on applying for a top secret/compartmentalized information clearance, this will cause you problems.

[MooseMom]

Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions.

I don't think we are being specifically targeted.  There are so many scams about these days.  I was hearing on the news a month or so ago that the latest phone scam is one in which your caller ID shows a phone number that looks to be right in your own neighborhood; I then realized that yes, we get those calls all of the time!  I answer none of them, figuring that if it's important, they'll leave a message.

My husband's credit card has been hacked into twice in the past year; fortunately, the credit card's fraud department caught it and sent us new cards. 

And yes, I agree with lulu836 that contacting them directly would only embolden them.  I'm probably just one of thousands of people whose contact information they've managed to get from some other organization/publication that also sends me stuff I don't want.  They've probably entered my details into their database, and you know how that goes; once you're in THE SYSTEM, you can't get out.  RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!

I probably won't hear from these people for another 8 months or so, so I have time to think about what to do next.

Again, thanks for the suggestions.  I'll keep them all in mind!

[MooseMom]

Keep in mind that the US Snail service keeps a scan of the exterior of all mail sent to you (you can sign up for the USPS "informed delivery" service and get an email each morning showing what is on the way).    If any law enforcement agency decides to profile you, the complete record of all of these scans is available without a warrant (It's called a "mail cover").    So if you plan on applying for a top secret/compartmentalized information clearance, this will cause you problems.

Oh, that's really interesting!  Right out of college, I applied for a job at the FBI.  My parents were none too keen, and dad being dad, he didn't think it would be a safe job for his only daughter!  But I applied anyway.  The application form was 13 pages long.  Anyway, I ended up applying for a job in insurance (dad's first choice for me).  The day I got the insurance job, I received a call from FBI agent McCloud (yes, really, that was his name!) asking to interview me.  Too late.  So, I almost ended up going to Quantico!  If I were to apply for a top secret job nowadays, I'd bet that before the interview was finished, everyone would have snoozed off.  I'm that ordinary.

[willowtreewren]

I agree with LuLu.

If there is a postage paid return envelope fill it with lots of junk to make it really heavy and send it back. They will have to pay for it and that will likely dissuade them from sending more.

Aleta

[SooMK]

There's a website for that: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0262-stopping-unsolicited-mail-phone-calls-and-email

[MooseMom]

Thank you, wtw and SooMK!!

[Simon Dog]

If I were to apply for a top secret job nowadays, I'd bet that before the interview was finished, everyone would have snoozed off.  I'm that ordinary.

If you had headed directly into a three letter agency from college to do merc work and spook work, you would probably go onto forums telling everyone you went into insurance.

[Michael Murphy]

You have gotten good advise I can only add one thought, ask your mail carrier how you stop getting this racist crap.  Two wins with that one she may know how to get the mail stopped, and secondly she will know you don’t approve of the racist crap.

[MooseMom]

If I were to apply for a top secret job nowadays, I'd bet that before the interview was finished, everyone would have snoozed off.  I'm that ordinary.

If you had headed directly into a three letter agency from college to do merc work and spook work, you would probably go onto forums telling everyone you went into insurance.

LOL!  That's probably true and only adds to my mystique, right?

But then I could blather on about placing facultative reinsurance for energy underwriters at Lloyd's of London in Scandinavian markets, and again, everyone would  probably be convinced.  But then AGAIN, that could be my cover story.   

[Riki]

Insurance? NOOOOOOOO!!!  *composes self*  Sorry, I just finished an exceptionally dry module in my Leisure Travel class on Travel Insurance.  I wish to never look at it again, though I know I will need to if I intend on selling travel to anyone