I got a letter in the mail...

^{Direct mail advertising and "junk mail"}

Much of what arrives in many consumers' mailboxes is unsolicited, direct marketing mail.  While some of these offers are useful to some, they can be bothersome to others.  As a consumer, you can limit what direct marketing mail you receive by contacting the Mail Preference Service of the Direct Marketing Association.

^{Sweepstakes, lotteries and government grants}

"This is an official award notification!"  Sound familiar?  Millions of these kinds of letters are sent every year, yet very few people ever see any sort of prize.  Sweepstakes are tools used to market goods and services, and can be very effective advertising tools.  Remember, if giving away money didn't make someone MORE money, they wouldn't do it.

Some sweepstakes letters may even include a check that is an "advance on your winnings".  The check is bogus, and you will lose money if you follow the instructions given with the check.  For more information on this scam, see our page on Bogus Check Scams.

Have you ever gotten a notice that you have won a foreign lottery?  If so, it is also a scam.  It is against the law for U.S. citizens to particpate in foreign lotteries from within the United States.  You can be sure that any such notice you recieve is fake.

You may receive a solicitation claiming to offer you a government grant.  Grants are awards of funds for a specific purpose, and almost always require some sort of application or request from the person or organization seeking the grant.  Beware of offers to fill out grant applications for you.  There is no guarantee you will get the grant and you will be charged for something you could do yourself.  Applications for any legitimate government grant you could apply for should be available for free from the granting agency (if there even is such a grant).

^{Work-at-home offers and bogus checks}

Receive a letter offering you work as a mystery shopper that included a check?  This is a common scam and could cost you a lot of money.  For more information about counterfeit check scams see our page on Bogus Checks.  

Does someone want you to ship products for them from your home?  Process envelopes and payments?  These, too are common scams.  Learn more about these and other scams from the United States Postal Inspection Service.

If you have recieved a mailing that seems suspicious, contact us for more information, or bring it to your local Post Office.  The Post Office investigates mail fraud, and can follow up on your concerns.

Last modified November 24 2009 03:04 PM