Is this a scam?

[ecotourist]

We've gotten two letters recently from different charities to an unlikely sounding name at our exact address. We know the names of everyone who has ever lived at this address and this unlikely sounding name is not one of them.

Could this be the start of a scam? Are they establishing our home as their address, in order to sell our house while we're out of town, or to take out a large mortgage for example.

Is there anything to see here?

 

[dishdude]

Probably just an error on a mailing list.

 

[ecotourist]

Probably just an error on a mailing list.

Agreed, but from different charities? Maybe they share the names and addresses of donors, but that's almost as creepy.

 

[KGMtech]

Google the charities and see what is said about them online.

 

[ecotourist]

We've tried to look up this person's phone number and address through Canada 411 (a universal look up source in Canada) but there is no listing for anyone by that name. Canada 411 isn't very good for cell phone numbers though.

On another note, my wife got a new cell phone number 7 or 8 years ago. We still get calls from car salesmen and loan companies asking if the previous owner would like to buy something. She must have had a terrific buying habit at some point in the past. Not the same person as the letters are addressed to thankfully.

 

[ecotourist]

Google the charities and see what is said about them online.

They're reputable charities all right, Red Cross and MS Canada.

 

[dishdude]

Agreed, but from different charities? Maybe they share the names and addresses of donors, but that's almost as creepy.

They absolutely sell mailing lists, the ones of people that have donated are especially valuable and sold a lot.

 

[ecotourist]

They absolutely sell mailing lists, the ones of people that have donated are especially valuable and sold a lot.

We've never gotten a tax receipt in the mail addressed to the "unlikely sounding name".

So maybe they get their receipts by e-mail which should mean the charities have that too. I don't think they'd give me the e-mail address but they could contact the "unlikely sounding name" to correct the address.

 

[Hall]

I don't think they'd give me the e-mail address but they could contact the "unlikely sounding name" to correct the address.

Put the correspondence straight in the recycle bin.

 

[ecotourist]

Thanks all.

I'll phone and tell the charities to just dump that address.