# What are the legal implications of signing for a package that doesn't belong to you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 22, 2017, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-legal-implications-of-signing-for-a-package-that-doesnt-belong-to-you/802352 "2017-11-22T01:45:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2017, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-legal-implications-of-signing-for-a-package-that-doesnt-belong-to-you/802352/41 "2017-11-23T12:19:40Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > No, the package was still sealed. I opened it and briefly looked at the bass. Are you sure? Because from your photos, it looks to me like someone had already been jamming out on it.🆒 ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2017, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-legal-implications-of-signing-for-a-package-that-doesnt-belong-to-you/802352/42 "2017-11-23T15:51:00Z")
Glad everything worked. See? This was just an evil plot to give you something big to be thankful for today. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2017, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-legal-implications-of-signing-for-a-package-that-doesnt-belong-to-you/802352/43 "2017-11-23T17:17:40Z")
I once had $5000 worth of medication (that had to be kept refrigerated) delivered to the wrong address. I had waived the signature requirement, so I was afraid that I would have to eat the replacement cost. :eek: Luckily for me, the person who got it called the sender and I was able to drive over and pick it up. In fairness to the driver who dropped it off, the error had occurred earlier in the chain. When I placed the order, the person taking it insisted on re-entering my address instead of using the saved one. My (not the real one) address is 2800 171st Place NW. The package was addressed to “2800 100 71 Street Place NW.” I think that the person who took my order had never encountered a city where there were numbered streets whose numbers were more than one digit. The next month when I placed the medication order, when it came time to give them my address, I started with, “I’m not saying you are dumb, but I had a big problem last month and I want to be crystal clear. My address is spelled 2-8-0-0-space-1-7-1-s-t-space…” ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2017, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-legal-implications-of-signing-for-a-package-that-doesnt-belong-to-you/802352/44 "2017-11-23T17:23:13Z")
> [@dstarfire](#): > > It’s a crime only if a person knowingly accepts a package that doesn’t belong to them. Intent can be proven by their actions after they realize they’re not the intended recipient. Here’s a thread on quora about this that includes answers from a delivery driver and somebody who’s received misdelivered packages. [https://www.quora.com/Is-it-illegal-to-open-intentionally-a-Federal-Express-or-messenger-package-addressed-to-someone-else-that-is-delivered-to-you](https://www.quora.com/Is-it-illegal-to-open-intentionally-a-Federal-Express-or-messenger-package-addressed-to-someone-else-that-is-delivered-to-you) > > Relax and wait a few days. It’ll probably show up. If it doesn’t, you’ll almost certainly get your money back. Most of your frustration right now is due to disappointed expectation. in which case it’s simple theft, and not mail fraud like it would be if it was sent through the US Postal Service. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-legal-implications-of-signing-for-a-package-that-doesnt-belong-to-you/802352.md?page=2)