The "Final Expenses" Scam

I received a letter from

Distribution Processing Center

PO Box 689

Marietta, GA 30061-9901

which stated that I may qualify for a state-regulated program to pay for my final expenses, which I assume means funeral expenses. The mailing contained no information regarding the company who actually sent it to me, nor did it include any information about how I could have myself removed from future mailings.

A quick Google search showed this to be part of a long-running scam that has been discussed on various forums and websites over the years, with no one able to figure-out exactly who is sending out these letters. I was able to find several reports regarding this company and others, using assorted Post Office Box addresses in Georgia. Switching PO Box numbers so frequently would be the typical response from a company or individual who may find their address being the recipient of Freedom of Information Act requests filed by people who are attempting to sue them, since the USPS will release the PO Box owners' information to a process server.

One thing that most people have agreed-upon is that the claim of a "final expenses" benefit is fictitious and anyone who replies will simply have their contact information sold to other marketing companies.

Aside from simply throwing the envelope in the trash, some people have stated that they've mailed-back the included return envelope, either empty or with shredded paper inside. I'm not sure if the company who mailed them out would get charged for the return postage or return postage costs are included in the mass-mailing fees initially charged to them by the US Postal Service.

One idea that may tempt some people is to attach the reply envelope to a heavy box and mail it back with the intention that the mailer will get charged for the extra postage. That will not work because the Post Office will notice it when it gets into one of their distribution centers, flag it and remove the heavy item. You can see verification of this in the video below:

Personally, I understand how people would want to take some small measure of revenge against scammers like this, but don't waste the Postal Service's time doing something like that.

If you want to do anything, you could simply mail back the empty envelope or run the contents through a shredder a couple of times before sending it back. As long as everything fits inside the return envelope, the USPS won't flag and stop it.

Just don't include a threatening note inside the envelope. The recipient could then report you to the US Postal Inspection Service and you could find yourself getting charged with a Federal crime for sending threats of violence through the US Mail.


Duane Browning