Mail Interception

wayne1978 · Post by **wayne1978** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 12:09 am

Hello

What can I do if I see that a person is taking photographs of my mail. I live in a block of flats with shared mailbox.

I cannot claim that he is stealing my mail but who knows? I know this person. I complained to the Police but they say it is a civil matter and they can only help with criminal matters.

Are there any laws here such as European law of "Respect to a private life"?

What are my options in terms of avoid this thing? Can I hire a mail box? any other ideas? I don't want this person to steal or abuse my personal or financial details.Taking photographs of my foreign credit card statement is serious. Wouldn't you agree? Of course, he denied he ever touched my mail.

I want my mail to be delivered some place else. What are the practical choices and options?and what are the expenses?

Best Regards
Wayne

**Sponsor:**

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 12:43 am

wayne1978 wrote:Taking photographs of my foreign credit card statement is serious.

I don't quite understand you here. Is he opening letters addressed to you? That would be crime. If he just takes photgraphs from unopened envelopes that in your house are put into the same mailbox with his mail, I'd certainly consider it bad manners, but it is not obvious it would be a crime.

wayne1978 · Post by **wayne1978** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 1:42 am

Yes. The letters are addressed to me which makes it my property. I caught him taking photographs of my credit card statement letter. The letter was unopened and when asked what he was upto. He said he thought it was his mail. I said you took photographs of my letters to which he said he was just checking out his camera and that he would delete the photos.First he denied of anything but then confessed that he took the photographs and would delete them. I asked him to delete them in front of me to which he just walked away on me, into his flat.

He could only have photographed my full name and my mailing address and perhaps my credit card number.But, the question is why he was doing it in the first place.(My bank prints all these details like, name,address and card number in the window envelope where it is visible)

Any suggestions about the mailbox or any alternatives please?

Best Regards
Wayne

Jukka Aho · Post by **Jukka Aho** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 2:35 am

wayne1978 wrote:Any suggestions about the mailbox or any alternatives please?

Itella (the old Finnish Post, but with a supposed-to-be-cool, novel name) offers post-office boxes and related services.

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 9:43 am

Thats the weirdest damn thing I've heard in ages.

kiwijim · Post by **kiwijim** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 1:07 pm

Identity theft in progress, there is already a police notice to all Finnish residents to be cautious of people taking photos of properties! Just another simple pleasure in belonging to the EU.

cors187 · Post by **cors187** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 1:26 pm

Jukka Aho wrote:
wayne1978 wrote:Any suggestions about the mailbox or any alternatives please?
Itella (the old Finnish Post, but with a supposed-to-be-cool, novel name) offers post-office boxes and related services.

That seems like a good solution.

Flossy1978 · Post by **Flossy1978** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 2:47 pm

I agree with Kiwijim. I think someone is preparing to steal from you.

If I were you, I'd contact the bank and get a new card with a new number. Also ask how they can send your bill/statement in some other fashion, electronically or an envelope not showing all your information.

Why should you have to make your life harder by getting a postbox and having to pay for it, because of some criminal? Why not get a letterbox with a lock on it if you don't have one?

How does the guy see your mail? Are you living in your own home where many people don't have locks on their letterboxes? Because most boxes in row houses and apartments have locks on the mail boxes, or the mail is put through the door in your slot.

And it's illegal to tamper with someone's mail in any fashion, so I don't know what the police are going on about it being a civil manner. You need to find a policeman willing to listen to you. Take a Fin with if you can't speak Finnish. They'll help fight for you.

CH · Post by CH » Thu Feb 28, 2013 3:20 pm

wayne1978 wrote:I live in a block of flats with shared mailbox.

So do you mean that there is just one mailbox for all the apartments? That is just... strange. (Ok... where I grew up there we did share a mailbox with some of our neighbors, but that was 30 years ago, haven't heard about anybody doing that since, certainly not in an apartment building!)

Start lobbying for everybody having their own locked mailbox. Or ask if you can install your own mailbox next to the shared one.

CH · Post by CH » Thu Feb 28, 2013 3:23 pm

Flossy1978 wrote:And it's illegal to tamper with someone's mail in any fashion

I don't think this is true, or a lot of mail carriers would be in jail. It is illegal to open somebody else's mail & read it without their permission. But just photographing a letter, I can't think of anything it would fall under. Creepy, sure, but not illegal.

Jukka Aho · Post by **Jukka Aho** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 3:55 pm

CH wrote:
wayne1978 wrote:I live in a block of flats with shared mailbox.
So do you mean that there is just one mailbox for all the apartments? That is just... strange. (Ok... where I grew up there we did share a mailbox with some of our neighbors, but that was 30 years ago, haven't heard about anybody doing that since, certainly not in an apartment building!)

Sharing a mail address is not unusual for student housing, though. There are lots of “residence hall” type student apartments which typically comprise of 2 to 5 single-occupancy rooms with a shared kitchen, bathroom, and entrance/hallway. Mail is usually received through a slot in the front door but I guess a shared mailbox could be an option as well. (Typically the first occupant to notice new mail on the floor would pick it up, remove mail addressed to them personally, and leave the remaining pile on the kitchen table for the other housemates to sort out.)

AldenG · Post by **AldenG** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 4:11 pm

Pursuivant wrote:Thats the weirdest damn thing I've heard in ages.

My very thought.

kiwijim wrote:Identity theft in progress

That, too.

Oombongo · Post by **Oombongo** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 4:12 pm

I have heard about mailbox fetish, but taking photos of unopened envelope sounds quite...interesting. Perhaps a new kind of fetish where person takes photos of a female name written on an envelope, and enjoys his own fantasy land while playing onanist?

Karhunkoski · Post by **Karhunkoski** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 4:16 pm

Has this happened more than once?

Upphew · Post by **Upphew** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 4:22 pm

Karhunkoski wrote:Has this happened more than once?

I would start to mail suspicious letters to myself with sender identified as "Hasse's Hash and Marihuana - Seeds with Speed!"

Finland Forum

Find information about moving to, living in and life in Finland