If someone is doing something that seems suspicious, it is best to investigate or put a stop to it, just to be safe.

What would you do if you kept getting mail from your upstairs neighbor’s baby daddy, even though he didn’t live in the same building as you? Then, you found out that your neighbor was regularly checking your mailbox for things for him.

That is what is happening to the young woman in this story, and she isn’t sure how she should react to it. She wants to get a locked mailbox, but also doesn’t want to cause problems with her neighbor.

One thing is for sure: she should not just let things continue as they are. If the neighbors are engaged in something shady, that could make her look bad, too. Read through the full story below and see what you think she should do.

Upstairs neighbors baby daddy using my address for his mail

I live in a first-floor unit of a two-unit duplex. My upstairs neighbor’s unit is directly above mine, and our mailboxes are mounted outside the front of the house where her entrance is. Her mailbox is the higher one and mine is the lower one.

Getting the wrong mail happens. No big deal.

I’ve started receiving a LOT of mail for people who do not live in my unit. When I first moved in, I would occasionally get the next-door neighbor’s mail since he used to live here, which I understand.

I only knew because my upstairs neighbor told me and sometimes his mail that was left in my mailbox would disappear, so I figured she went in and took it to give to him. I didn’t care much at the time right.

Something weird is happening here.

But now I’m regularly getting mail for my upstairs neighbor’s baby daddy. I remember one was from a bank and then other ones from I have no idea what.

I got uncomfortable from it because the last time I had two pieces of mail in my mailbox for him that was under two different last names. My neighbor said he has two different last names.

He seems to be doing something shady; that’s for sure.

Because we have different units, he didn’t write a unit number, and because I’m the first floor, I think it automatically gets assumed that it’s for me.

He does not live with her and he didn’t ever live with her, so I’m really confused why he was using his address in the first place and whether or not he purposefully left the unit number out to maybe perhaps try to do some sort of fraud without making it unit one making it look like it was a mistake.

These neighbors are very nosy.

Anyway, when we were both out there, and I asked her, if both of those last names were his, and she said yes. She also asked me if I knew there were postcards in my mailbox, which made me uncomfortable because it made me realize she has apparently gone into my mailbox before.

Now I’m wondering if they use my mailbox and take stuff out of it or check if his mail is in there. I decided to ask my landlord when I have more money if I can install a locked mailbox with a slot so that nobody can get into my mailbox.

Who can blame her for not wanting people going through her mailbox?

And then I wrote unit one residence only on the outside and then I lifted up the top and put a note in here with our names on it and I wrote, please don’t mail anything else here & please shut the top securely.

I don’t want people to just be looking in my mailbox or rummaging through it as if it’s a for all mailbox or something. The baby daddy father does NOT live in my unit. He lives with his mother.

It would not be at all surprising if there were some fraud here.

His mother, my upstairs neighbor and me all have section 8 because of the last name thing and getting mail here it’s just starting to make me suspicious why he isn’t getting mail delivered to his own address, or even writing unit two instead of just leaving it blank so that it sent to mine.

I’m concerned because I don’t know why someone who doesn’t live here would be using my address for their mail. I don’t know if there’s anything improper going on, and I’m not accusing anyone of fraud, but given the circumstances I don’t want my address associated with something I have nothing to do with.

Having a secured mailbox is a really good idea.

They are all really sketchy people, which is why I don’t feel comfortable with anyone even looking in my mailbox anymore. I’m going to get a secure locked mailbox as soon as possible after I talk to my landlord.

Because I have section 8, I don’t want it to somehow create problems with my housing or make it look like additional people are living in my unit. Which makes me wonder if they’re doing some sort of fraud.

She is exactly right. It is an issue of liability.

Again, I’m not accusing anyone but honestly, nobody else’s mail should be sent to my mailbox and I’m tired of getting the next-door neighbor neighbors mail his in my mailbox all the time.

It shouldn’t be my responsibility. I feel like a Karen, but it’s also a liability issue. If someone has my address listed as their residence or if I’m constantly getting & responsible for their mail.

Marking it Return to Sender and putting it back in her own mailbox is good enough. But the neighbors might notice.

I’ve also realized that I’ve probably been too casual about misdelivered mail in the past. Sometimes I’ll grab my mail and bring it inside without looking carefully at every name, and I don’t want to accidentally open someone else’s mail.

From now on, I’m planning to return anything that isn’t addressed to me or another resident of my unit. Should I continue leaving incorrectly delivered mail in my mailbox marked “Return to Sender — Wrong Address,” or should I take it directly to the post office?

These are both good things to do.

Should I contact USPS and tell them that people who don’t live in my unit are repeatedly receiving mail at my address?

Is putting a “Unit 1 Residents Only” note inside my mailbox reasonable, or is that unnecessary?

There is nothing wrong with having a lockable mailbox.

Would a locking mailbox be a reasonable solution?

Is there anything else I should do to protect myself from someone using my address without my permission?

It likely isn’t a big deal, but it also shouldn’t be ignored.

I’m not trying to start drama with my neighbor. I just don’t want to be involved in whatever this person may be doing, and I want to make sure there isn’t a situation later where I have to prove that these people don’t live here.

I already have enough in my life and I don’t need unnecessary things happening from other people. Am I overreacting, or would you take this seriously too?

While there is not necessarily anything serious going on, it is not something that she should just let go. Getting it to stop is the most important thing at this point.

Read on to see what the people in the comments have to say about it.

Take this situation very seriously.

Here is someone with a great way to handle it.

This makes a lot of sense.

She should definitely take it seriously.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a person who is thinking of alerting the city to their neighbor’s campers being lived-in while parked on the street.

This commenter says to talk to the post master.

This is not something that she should just let go. She could get in a lot of trouble, or at least have to go through a lot of hassle, if they really are engaged in any type of mail-related fraud.

Contacting the post office and explaining the situation to them is a great first step. They will know how to deal with it.