How to Report Abuse of Media Mail

Report media mail abuse through government agencies and other organizations.

You may take action to combat media mail abuse. Email inboxes and social networking sites are common locations of Internet abuse. Agencies who take complaints of spam and harassment include Internet service providers, the Federal Trade Commission, social networking companies, local police stations and attorneys general offices. If you are bothered by unsolicited advertisements or receive harassing messages, you may take steps to protect yourself and make your inbox a more pleasant place to visit.

Instructions

1. Contact the Internet service provider through which the abusive activity originated and report the incident. You may find the ISP of users based on the last part of their email address. The ISP may investigate and suspend the offender's privileges.

2. Report the media mail abuse to the Federal Trade Commission when the abuser is a business (not person-to-person harassment). When a company adds you to its email list without permission and sends you unsolicited advertisements and newsletters, it might be violating FTC regulations. The FTC will not resolve individual complaints, but it will add the complaint to a database.

3. Contact the closest office of the attorney general's office for the state in which the abusive company is based. Depending on the state's laws, the attorney general's office may take action on your behalf. For example, in the state of Washington, the attorney general's office mediates disputes with consumers and businesses when the dispute is within the state's jurisdiction. Check with the state for specific guidelines.

4. Report media mail abuse that takes place on a social networking site by contacting the site directly. On Facebook, reportable abuse includes harassment, so if someone sends you an abusive message you are allowed to take action.

5. Call the police if you feel threatened or in danger. You may file a restraining order against individuals through your local police department.

Tips & Warnings

• If you fall victim to an email scam, report the incident to your local police station.

References

• Washington State Office of the Attorney General: Filing a Complaint
• Facebook: Reporting a Violation
• National Association of Attorneys General: Current Attorneys General

Resources

• Google Apps: Reporting Abuse Incidents
• Yahoo! Abuse Help Form
• MSN: Reporting Abuse Issues
• Windows Live: How to report Abuse or Spam in Windows Live Hotmail
• FTC Complaint Assistant