fright mail
n. Letters and other mail pieces that use scare tactics to solicit money.
Examples
1998
An Oakland woman received more than 700 pieces of fundraising mail after she contributed to a few groups that used so-called "fright mail" to solicit donations.
—“Political mailings trigger FBI probe,” San Jose Mercury News (California), February 13, 1998
1989
Congress needs to put tighter reins on mass mailings from private groups that raise millions of dollars by raising questions about the future of Social Security and preying on the fears of the elderly, a Senate panel was told Monday. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-N.Y., said "fright mail" often arrives in official-looking envelopes from groups with names resembling those of government agencies, exhorting senior citizens to send money to protect their benefits.
—Nancy Benac, “Senators Call for Tighter Reins on Misleading Mailings,” The Associated Press, November 20, 1989
1971 (earliest)
Senator Kuchel described it as "fright mail." Its tone was hysterical, fearful, conspiratorial, hateful, suspicious, and intemperate.
—John C. Livingstone, Consent of the Governed, Macmillan, January 01, 1971
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