Junk Mail Magic

Check a mailed directory listing before paying

Check a directory listing letter against your approved purchases before anyone pays or signs it. The FTC warns businesses about directory-listing scams and fake invoices. A familiar business name and a correctly printed address do not establish that your company ordered the service.

By Junk Mail Magic. Updated .

Send it through the purchasing check

  1. Read the complete form, including small print near the signature or payment section. Identify the directory, the service being offered and the business requesting payment.
  2. Ask the person responsible for advertising purchases whether this service was approved. Look for an existing order or contract in company records.
  3. Compare the sender with any directory service you actually use. Reach an existing vendor through its known account or contact route instead of relying only on the new letter.
  4. If the mailing is an optional promotion you do not want, an authorized employee can ask the verified advertiser to stop postal sales material. Keep that separate from any dispute about a claimed order.
  5. If the claim appears deceptive, preserve the letter and envelope. Use the FTC’s business-scam guidance and the Postal Inspection Service’s mail-fraud reporting route as appropriate.

Give reception a place to send uncertainty

A front-desk employee should have a named person who can check a purchasing claim. Otherwise, an invoice-shaped advertisement may reach payment with no one remembering where it came from. Keep the original together with any internal notes so the approver can see the whole offer.

Do not upload invoices, contracts or company account details to an advertising-removal workflow. The immediate task is to establish what was ordered and whether the sender has a legitimate claim.

Private directory-offer check

Example for your own use. Replace the bracketed details and review what you share.

Directory or publication: [name] Sender requesting payment: [business] Service described: [description] Approved order located: [reference or none found] Person checking it: [name or role] Known vendor contact used: [official route] Outcome and next action: [record after checking]

Record the outcome in the purchase system

Once the responsible person has checked the letter, record their decision where your business tracks purchasing questions. If it was only unwanted advertising, record the separate mailing preference request under the advertiser’s name.

Official sources

Give reception a check for invoice-shaped advertisementsCheck a directory form that looks like a free updateMake a promotional-mail handoff for reception staffBusiness mailAll practical mail guides

Keep personal records with the organization that handles them

Junk Mail Magic is for ordinary unwanted advertising. Use the official contact route in this guide for records, account changes or someone else’s correspondence.

Compare removal routes