USPS · General

You find an envelope on your route that appears to contain cash, with no clear addressee. What should you do?

Correct answer

Turn it in to your supervisor and follow proper procedures for found or undeliverable items — never keep mail or its contents

  1. A Keep it since there's no clear owner
  2. B Turn it in to your supervisor and follow proper procedures for found or undeliverable items — never keep mail or its contents
  3. C Leave it where you found it
  4. D Give it to the nearest resident

Why this is the answer

INTEGRITY is paramount. Any found mail or item must be turned in to a supervisor and handled per proper procedures — NEVER kept, regardless of contents or unclear ownership. Keeping mail or its contents is theft of mail, a serious FEDERAL CRIME. Leaving it or giving it to a random resident are also improper. The 474 VEA (and the carrier role generally) places enormous weight on honesty and integrity — carriers are entrusted with the public's mail, including valuables, and must demonstrate unwavering honesty. This is a non-negotiable standard; the only correct action is to turn it in through proper channels.
Source: USPS 474 VEA — Integrity, Found Items

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