Preserve a mailer after you paid a suspected scam

Start by calling the bank, card issuer or payment service that handled the money, using the number on your own card or statement. Next, keep the original mailer and your payment records together, and report the mailing to USPIS if you suspect mail fraud.

By Junk Mail Magic. Updated October 2, 2026.

What to do, in order

Call your payment provider. Say that you paid in response to a mailing you now doubt, and ask what options apply to your payment type. Write down the date, the person you spoke with and their answer.
Put the envelope, every page and any inserts in one folder. The postmark and return address belong to the record.
Gather proof of payment, such as a receipt, confirmation, statement line or check image. List the date, amount and method on one sheet.
Report the mailing to USPIS, which accepts reports of suspected mail fraud. A report does not guarantee an investigation or the return of your money.
Do not send more money in response to follow-up demands. Check any new request through a contact route you found yourself.

Keeping the record usable

Keep the original documents and write notes on a separate sheet so the mailer stays as it arrived. Store the folder somewhere private.

In notes and messages, describe what happened rather than labeling the company. For example, write what the mailing asked for, what you paid and when. That gives the provider and USPIS the facts without making a claim you cannot prove.

These are payment and fraud records, so keep them with you or give them to the official route. Do not upload them to a junk-mail tool.

Private evidence checklist

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

Date mailing received: [date] Sender name and return address as printed: [sender name, address] What the mailing asked me to do: [request] Amount, method and date paid: [amount, method, date] Other details I shared: [details or none] Payment provider called: [date, name of person, what they said] USPIS report made: [date or not yet] Where the originals are stored: [location]

If you shared more than money

If you also gave an account number, card number or login, contact the provider for each one using a number you already trust. Ask how to secure it, and add their answer to your checklist.

Official sources

Choose between mail-fraud and delivery support routes Help a relative verify troubling mail without taking over A mailed demand for gift-card codes is a scam Check a mailed prize notice that asks for a fee Suspicious mail All 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.

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