Is it illegal in NJ to keep a package accidentally delivered to me?

While it may seem harmless to keep a package that wasn’t intended for you, legal experts warn that doing so may not be allowed under the law.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) , if a consumer receives unordered merchandise items sent by a company that were not requested or paid for they are legally permitted to keep it as a free gift. No payment or return is required.

However, that rule applies only when the merchandise was intentionally sent to the recipient by a seller or company.

When a package is addressed to someone else but mistakenly delivered to the wrong home the situation is legally different. Keeping a misdelivered package that belongs to another person may be considered theft or “civil conversion” under common law principles. The FTC does not grant the same pr