mail tampering
Illegal letter meddling
Mail tampering is the unauthorized opening, destruction, delay, or interference with mail in transit.
In the United States, it's a federal crime—postal inspectors investigate, and penalties can include fines and imprisonment.
The term covers everything from a nosy roommate opening your letters to organized theft of packages: He was charged with mail tampering after stealing checks from neighbors' mailboxes.
- porch piratesPeople who steal delivered packages
- postal inspectorFederal agent investigating mail crimes
- forgeryCreating fraudulent imitations
- legal penaltiesPunishments imposed by courts
- interceptionSeizing something in transit
resealing · identity theft · criminal charges · special agent · open · letter · wartime censorship · federal offense · federal crime · espionage · privacy violation · paper · investigator · packages · suspicious package · return address · envelope · federal
- postal servicepost office, sorting machine, stamps, stamp, letter carriers
- postal problemswater damage, damaged goods
- mail crimespostal fraud, postal theft, package theft, counterfeit stamps, letter bombs
- mail securityx-ray scanning, bomb detection, security seals, postal inspectors, suspicious package