USPS says you shouldn't put a lost wallet in the mailbox - here's why

The agency recommends trying other methods to return someone's personal effects.


There is no feeling of fear like realizing that you have lost your wallet. Aside from the money you may never see again, you also keep your driving license and your credit cards there-and these can be painful to replace. You can hope that your personal effects are found by a good Samaritan who tries to return it through The postal system , but it turns out that it may not be your best bet. The American postal service (USPS) actually advises this current practice. Read the rest to know why.

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Many people recommend putting lost portfolios in the mailbox.

man lost his wallet on a bench on street
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If you have already met a portfolio lost yourself, you may have dropped it into a USPS mailbox to bring it back to its legitimate owner. After all, people have been pushing this idea for years.

"If you find a portfolio lost in the United States, you can put it in a USPS mailbox and they will return it for free to its owner," wrote a Reddit user A 2018 message In the Subreddit R / Lifeprotips.

Another user commented on the wire, adding that it worked for them when they lost their wallet. "Someone must have thrown it into the mailbox. The USPS put it in an envelope marked it as" found in the mailbox "and I recovered it in a few weeks," -The written.

It was even successful for the mayor of New York Eric Adams' Top assistant earlier this year.

"I lost my wallet by hiking, but a few days later, someone found it. And I returned it by mail. With all the money. And I left a good note ! People are sometimes quite good, " Maxwell Young , Adams communications director, Posted on X January 19.

In the note, the person who returned the lost portfolio of Young wrote that he "dropped him Usps and [hoping] that he is delivered to you safely".

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But the USPS does not recommend that you do it.

April 04 2023: A USPS postal worker collects the outgoing mail at a drive thru drop off box.
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It is a good thought to believe that a lost wallet could easily be returned by the simple action of putting it in a mailbox, and this occurs clearly. But in an interview of September 14 with CBS-Affiliate Wusa9 in Washington, D.C., the postal service clearly indicated that this not a method The agency advertising or defenders.

"We do not encourage customers to put lost items, including portfolios, in collection boxes," USPS spokesperson for News Outlet told.

Better life contacted the USPS for more information, and we will update this story with their answer.

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You may have to pay a lost portfolio if it has returned by post.

woman at home looking worried getting bills in the mail - domestic life concepts
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Even if the USPS does not recommend it, postal employees will do their best to return a lost portfolio if it fell by post, Wusa9 reported. But it may not be free as some people claim. As the USPS explains On his website , a portfolio found in a collection box or a mailbox is considered an "unclassified material", which is a type of dead mail.

"Dead mail is a matter submitted by post that cannot be delivered and cannot be returned to the sender," said the agency. "A reasonable effort is made to match the articles found in bulk by post with the envelope or packaging and to return or transmit the items."

According to the postal service, the material not ordered as a lost portfolio will be "returned awaiting first -class mail or a priority mail price for keys and identification devices which is applicable according to the weight of the question".

In other words, if your portfolio returns by post, it may have come with an opinion that you owe costs to USP.

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The USPS recommends that people use a different method.

Mail man reaches out of his truck to deliver mail. Official mail delivery slowdown started on October 1, 2021, as seen on October 2, 2021.
istock

In order to avoid any problem, the USPS told Wusa9 that people should find another way to return the efforts found instead of sticking them in a mailbox.

"If someone finds a portfolio, the best option is to transform it into a local police," said a company spokesperson. "The Finder could also transform it into a lost and found receptacle (if available) or search for an identifier and contact the owner."

This could also help prevent any potential consequence on your side. A New York Man has been arrested In 2019, after depositing a portfolio lost in a post office in Los Angeles, NBC Miami reported. The man said he had found the wallet when leaving the Hard Rock Casino Seminole in Hollywood, but he was arrested a few days after returning it by the police and accused of small flight.

While the accusations were finally abandoned, the police said that the portfolio should have been returned to them.

"Money or goods found in a Seminole casino or on a Seminole tribe reserve must be given to uniform security agents," they said in a statement at NBC Miami.

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