Someone opened my W-2 form in the mail?

Start checking your credit reports and closely watching your bank statements, etc. You can put a fraud stop on credit applications if you want. Or you could just have a nosy neighbor.

I think it was delivered to someone by mistake, and they couldn't resist seeing what someone made, so they opened it. Since they opened it, they were embarassed, so they left it on your doorstep instead and ran off.

So, it'd be prudent to be a little concerned, but a real ID thief wouldn't be putting it on your doorstep.

I say everything's gunna be all right.

I used to work for a place that mailed out W-2s without sealing the envelope. They thought it wasn't a big deal. My interpretation was: too many envelopes for them to lick without major tongue abuse.

Unsealed wrote:

I used to work for a place that mailed out W-2s without sealing the envelope. They thought it wasn't a big deal. My interpretation was: too many envelopes for them to lick without major tongue abuse.

This. I used to always get mine unopened. OP, see if you can tell if the envelope had been sealed prior to being opened. It should be pretty easy to tell.

Flicker Stick wrote:

This. I used to always get mine unopened. OP, see if you can tell if the envelope had been sealed prior to being opened. It should be pretty easy to tell.

LOL, sorry. I meant to write that I used to always get mine open. It had never been sealed.

Flicker Stick wrote:

Unsealed wrote:

I used to work for a place that mailed out W-2s without sealing the envelope. They thought it wasn't a big deal. My interpretation was: too many envelopes for them to lick without major tongue abuse.

This. I used to always get mine unopened. OP, see if you can tell if the envelope had been sealed prior to being opened. It should be pretty easy to tell.

Wow, that's crazy. The postage machine will seal the envelopes automatically, so I don't know why anyone would send such a document unsealed.

I'd imagine the OP's W2 just got delivered to the wrong address. If only one person receives mail at an address, they might not be careful about checking who it's addressed to before opening.

OP, any chance you work for a small company and someone from the office hand delivered it?

make sure no one filed your taxes for you and got your return already. I'd file right away to beat them to it if you think someone stole your info. plus keep an eye on your credit reports.

It was one of the deals where it has the 3 perforated sides - one side was torn, then opened (the other two sides are still intact).

Funny thing, and I'm not sure I can attribute to this situation - I haven't gotten any mail in my locked mailbox since the blizzard (I live on the East Coast). The W-2 wasn't in my mailbox, it was laying on my doorstep.

Also, on the front someone wrote in caps, "DOSE NOT LIVE AT THIS ADDRESS, RETURN TO SENDER"

Unsealed wrote:

I used to work for a place that mailed out W-2s without sealing the envelope. They thought it wasn't a big deal. My interpretation was: too many envelopes for them to lick without major tongue abuse.

Someone actually lick envelopes where you work? This is a joke isn't it?

That was my interpretation. The company had 100,000 employees. They had many assembly lines: complex aircraft. So, a HR envelop licking assembly line should have been child's play for them.

derp wrote:

make sure no one filed your taxes for you and got your return already. I'd file right away to beat them to it if you think someone stole your info. plus keep an eye on your credit reports.

That's a good thought. If you have a refund coming, read up on refund fraud:

A person read it couldn't go far with such an information, but yet, keep watching your credit reports nonetheless. And consider doing your taxes online instead, for example, here you can find and fill w-2 tax form https://fillable-form-w2.pdffiller.com Obviously, it's a paid thing, but more secured a little