Mail Inspection?

News: Registration is free here at the CPMF!

I have, over the past month, received six letters containing currency, mailed from Canada (BC-2, ON-4) that have been slit open and then resealed with clear tape.  There was no identification that the mail had been officially opened.   The contents were present and undamaged.  Both eBay and private purchases are involved.  All were lettermail; no parcel mail or Xpresspost mail appear to have been opened.  The senders  include several members of this forum.

Have any of you received reports of similar occurences in your mailing to the United States?  Thanks for your comments.

blumax

yeah,they are examining all currency transaction now...I could get in to it but let's just say,as Kojak would" Let's be careful out there"

I mailed a USA Federal Reserve $1 note Series 1935A with HAWAII overprint to the US and the buyer claimed he never received it. It was sent by regular post (untracked). It was only a $30 loss but after reading the above posts I'm beginning to wonder whether the envelope may have been slit open and the contents removed .... (?)

This is not the first loss I have experienced with untracked post sent to the US. However, I've never lost anything sent by Express Tracked Post to the US.

yeah,they are examining all currency transaction now...

Really?

Is this an actual "inspection" or theft of mail?

Secondly if this is an inspection what would be the purpose of it?

...the buyer claimed he never received it. It was sent by regular post (untracked). It was only a $30 loss but after reading the above posts I'm beginning to wonder whether the envelope may have been slit open and the contents removed .... (?)

This is not the first loss I have experienced with untracked post sent to the US. However, I've never lost anything sent by Express Tracked Post to the US.

Customs randomly (I think) open your mail and check if there's anything illegal. Probably the ones that opened your mail was like, "Hey look, a dollar bill! Let's buy lunch with that!" OR the person receiving the mail was a liar and said he didn't get it so he thought you can give him a full refund.

I usually slit open an evenlope before mailing it because I forgot to put something in it. I think I will have to buy tamper-proof tape now.

This is related only in that it involves cross-the-border mail experiences:

I once bought a DF note from the US and selected regular mail as the seller recommended this option for hassle free quick delivery of the item.  It took about 5-6 weeks to arrive and the wait drove me crazy. 

The next note I bought I selected registered-tracked postage - paid dearly for it, then had to pay about $18 in duty.  The 1917 $1 note ended up being over book price (although I won it for less!) 

Really?

Is this an actual "inspection" or theft of mail?

Secondly if this is an inspection what would be the purpose of it?

Breach of privacy has become a common place in the US post-9/11. NSA can strip you anywhere they want and Customs can open your mail, w/o warrent.
Reuters is reporting that Customs and Border Protection is opening international mail coming into the U.S. without warrant.

Sadly, this is legal.

Congress passed a trade act in 2002, 107 H.R. 3009, that expanded the Custom Service's ability to open international mail. Here's the beginning of Section 344:

(1) In general.--For purposes of ensuring compliance with the Customs laws of the United States and other laws enforced by the Customs Service, including the provisions of law described in paragraph (2), a Customs officer may, subject to the provisions of this section, stop and search at the border, without a search warrant, mail of domestic origin transmitted for export by the United States Postal Service and foreign mail transiting the United States that is being imported or exported by the United States Postal Service.


“All mail originating outside the United States Customs territory that is to be delivered inside the U.S. Customs territory is subject to Customs examination,” says the CBP Web site. That includes personal correspondence. “All mail means ‘all mail,’” said John Mohan, a CBP spokesman, emphasizing the point. “This process isn’t something we’re trying to hide,” Mohan said, noting the wording on the agency’s Web site. --

And from USA Today:
Bush says feds can open mail without warrants
President Bush has "quietly claimed sweeping new powers to open Americans' mail without a judge's warrant," the New York Daily News writes this morning.

When he put his signature on a postal reform bill on Dec. 20, the newspaper notes, the president added a "signing statement" that "declared his right to open people's mail under emergency conditions."

And you Canadians(that includes me) better not get"cant happen here" syndrome.Wait till you see the bill Harper just passed.Yowser!

To your second ?,I'll leave that up to you to conclude what you will.....but it aint purrty!

Fortunately, the tighter customs regulations w.r.t. items sent by mail are all bark and little or no bite.  I find more stuff is slipping through customs unopened (from my personal experiences sending and receiving).

Interesting,but can you state whether you're  including usd cash in these transactions?
As the usd sped towards par,being personally involved in some very large,as well as very small usd transactions,you'd be amazed at the stories involving anything to do with US currency.As international entities move away from the usd,you can expect currency controls soon enough,the flight to quality being the scape goat,the collapse of the reserve dollar being the cause.
Gives new meaning to the phrase "You've got mail"

Customs randomly (I think) open your mail and check if there's anything illegal. Probably the ones that opened your mail was like, "Hey look, a dollar bill! Let's buy lunch with that!" OR the person receiving the mail was a liar and said he didn't get it so he thought you can give him a full refund.

Yes, I volunteered a full refund (less the shipping cost) but he didn't even acknowledge the refund let alone thank me for it! That hurt more than the financial loss ......

The only packages I have had opened by US customs are those sent by Fedex. Never seen it with regular mail or Xpresspost or even registered mail. All opened packages have had the US customs tape on them indicating they had been opened for inspection.

Thanks for the comments.  I would like to note that my inquiry did not include 'items not received' (I've had perhaps 3 over the last two years, and not all involving Canadian mail).  All of my opened mail has had the contents intact and undamaged - I am not suggesting loss in transit.  It first started in mid-August, and only involves lettermail.  Furthermore, there is no label or tape to show it was officially opened by US Customs.  I have had no evidence of Xpresspost being opened.  I have had only one experience with FedEx - a purchase of a 1988 $1000 Pine Grosbeak.  FedEx appaently opened the parcel, refused to carry it, and returned it to the seller.  He eventually carried it to Seattle and mailed it USPS Registered to me.

blumax