Free Mail! 10/16/87 Version 1.0 Want to be able to mail letters for free? No postage required? It is possible to do, but I gotta warn you that it is a form of mail fraud to do it on purpose...so make sure you only do it by accident IF you do it at all...IS THAT CLEAR??? Let's say you want to send a letter to your friend who lives in... Salt Lake City. You, of course, live in Chicago. Here is how you address the envelope... _________________________________________________________________________ | {note lack | | Your Friend of postage | | 666 State Street stamp!} | | SLC, UT 84444 | | | | | | Your Name | | 69 Halstead St | | Chi-Town, IL 60000 | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pretty simple eh? Obviously you should use the accurate (real) addresses where indicated (no shit!). What happens when you mail this letter is the post office will mark it RETURN TO SENDER INSUFFICIENT POSTAGE. The sender, as indicated on the envelope, is your friend. Therefore good old Uncle Sam delivers it to the destination you sought. All for free! Why it works: The Postal Department regulation prohibit delivery of mail that does not have the proper postage. They must return it to the sender for first class letters. Now it may seem a little funny to see a letter that is supposed to be from Salt Lake in a Chicago mail box, but the postal workers probably won't notice and even if they do they can only assume that the letter is correct as addressed...they simply can't spend their time second guessing destinations. Because if they are wrong (and assumed it was mailed from Chicago and sent it thru the system to you on Halstead) they would be breaking their own rules by delivering non-stamped mail *as addressed*. The postal worker, even if he has time to notice or cares, simply must take the envelope at face value and follow regulations. Hence, it gets delivered to your friend. Glitches: Of the dozens of letters I know have been sent like this once in a while one will come back to you. With all the mail the post office handles some are bound to get thru the system and actually get delivered. It happens. Once I heard of the envelope coming thru with a postage due attachment. This should not happen normally. Post Office regulations say that postage due can only be done when the postage affixed is not enough to cover the cost. It can not be done when there is no postage at all. But again, sometimes it happens. Because of the potential glitch problem don't send important stuff this way. It may boomerang back to you or it may get caught up in the gears of post office red tape and just vanish. It is possible. Hints: Make the "return" address very complete and legible. Don't indicate in your letter inside or on the back flap that it may have been done on purpose (ie: I hope you get this letter...pretty cool the way I mailed it!). On the evelope will tip off an alert employee, inside could be discovered by a nosey mailman (don't kid yourself...they do read letters once in a while, but they just toss them away when done. I know a mailman who admitted it. This is how many letters get "lost") Also, it won't work for postcards. Make sure the envelope doesn't say address correction requested, or do not forward, or 2nd class mail...or anything else unusual. Just make it looklike your average law abiding letter mailed w/out postage by accident. Disclaimer/Statement of Facts: Mail Fraud is a big fucking crime. I don't use this technique (I just know of it), I don't suggest you do it either (but it's your choice). Reading, having, telling, and knowing this techinique is NOT against the law...neither is distributing it. IF you decide to try it the odds are %99.99999999999999999 percent that no one will ever know. But as a precaution NEVER admit, brag, tell anyone that you EVER mailed a letter w/out postage ON PURPOSE. We all make mistakes...even Ronny Raygun. Remember, the only scumbag that came out of Watergate with both his testicles was G. Gordon Liddy and he KEPT HIS MOUTH SHUT. Learn by his example. But hey! I don't mean to get preachy. Have fun with this. Sleep easier now that the potential exists to mail free. Rebels unite, you have nothing to loose but your inhibitions. T H U M P R >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> of ChicagoLand //////////////////// Do you have an Atari ST computer? Then look for Flash Harrass, HACK.DEF and BUSYOUT.ARC for phun and excitement using your modem, ST and Flash terminal software. On better BBS's around the nation PPS: I didn't originate this postage free system, someone told me about it many years ago. It is probably quite common but many I have talked to have not heard it so I thought I'd type it up and distribute. If you found yourself thinking..."how old" than you are right. If you found yourself thinking "how stupid" then go fuck yourself. Knowledge is power and must be distributed or we will all perish in a bourgeoise nuclear death. EOF