Junk Mail Magic

Identify an electricity supplier’s mailed offer

Confirm who sent the letter before you respond to it. Compare the sender name and contact details with your latest bill and with the utility's website. Reach that website from the address on your bill, not through anything printed in the letter.

By Junk Mail Magic. Updated .

Compare the letter with your bill

  1. Copy the sender name exactly as printed, the return address and any phone number or web address into the worksheet.
  2. Take your utility's name and customer-service details from your latest bill and from the website listed there.
  3. Compare the two. Note whether the letter says it is from your utility, says it acts for your utility, or names a different company.
  4. Note whether the letter asks for an account number or a signature. If you have questions about your account, take them to the utility using the bill's contact details.

What the comparison can and cannot show

For an account or billing question, the FTC recommends contacting your utility through the number on your bill or its genuine website. That establishes a trusted place to ask whether the utility sent or authorized the letter. It does not establish that a different supplier is dishonest.

A matching name does not tell you whether a proposed plan suits you. Keep the letter and your bill privately while you verify the sender and purpose. Any decision about changing service is separate from a postal advertising preference.

Private comparison worksheet

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

Sender name on letter: [name as printed] Return address / phone / web address on letter: [details as printed] Utility name on my latest bill: [utility name] Utility contact details from my bill: [phone and website from bill] Letter says it is from or acting for my utility: [yes / no / unclear] Asks for account number or signature: [yes / no] Next step: [ignore / ask sender about stopping mail / call utility]

Act on the worksheet result

If the letter names a company other than your utility and you do not want its offers, ask that company through its official website whether it has a way to stop its mailings. If the letter suggests it comes from your utility and the details do not match your bill, call the number on your bill and ask whether the utility sent it.

Official sources

Keep account notices while stopping promotionsChange a FirstEnergy Pennsylvania supplier-list preferenceVerify a number printed on unfamiliar mailHousehold servicesAll 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