![]() Technically, it isn’t explicitly illegal for someone to use your address. Is It Illegal for Someone to Use Your Mailing Address? If you need to reach their customer support phone number, you can call (800) ASK-USPS. If no suspicious activity (as listed above) is taking place, then you can still check the postal records, and lookup the address under which you come up. Similar suspicious activity such as change of billing address for your current credit cards, or new account sign up notifications (credit cards, loyalty programs etc.) can be signals that you have been the victim of address fraud. If you start noticing that, then chances are someone completed a change of address on your behalf. Considering that a change of address has been completed, that means that you no longer get mail to your mailbox. In the event where you do get such a letter, make sure you reach out to your local post office branch to let them know!Īnother good way to tell if your address has been changed, is if you stop receiving mail. Such move validation notices can help prevent the approval of the address change, if this was not requested by you. Typically, the USPS will send out verification letters with the request of each address change, to confirm that a resident actually completed such a request. So, let’s look at some of the ways you can find out if you have been a victim of change of address fraud. But it is somewhat hard to know if this has happened to you. How Do I Find Out If Someone Changed My Mailing Address?įraudulent change of address can be distressing. Essentially, they get full control of your identity and can act in any way they like, under your name. Such information can be used for the purpose of changing your financial information, signing up for credit cards you did not want and charging you for services you did not use. Oftentimes, such information will include your social security number, passport information etc (to name a few.) Other information would include healthcare statements (including Medicare.) So, although you may be getting your bank statements online, most likely you are also getting some kind of bank information in the mail. Who uses snail mail in 2020 anyway…right?Īll of your government paperwork (including IRS notices,) come through the mail. Why Would Someone Use Your Mailing Address?Īt first glance, it may not seem like a big problem. So clearly the difficulty in tracking such activity is quite high. What is more troubling than that, is the fact that the number of address fraud complaints filled each year, is at a little over 17,000. The statistics are troubling over 700 changes of address completed every year are fraudulent. That is due to the $1 verification charge that the USPS website will enable, to verify your information and bank account. So there is no way that someone across the world can complete such a process off of their computer. The good news is, the only way for someone to complete a change of address successfully without you being notified of it, is offline. All they need essentially, is your name and street address they’ll handle the rest… What is troubling, is the ease with which someone can request a change of address without your knowledge. That means that all credit card information, your social security number (etc.) are now at their hands to use as they wish. They will simply fill out the 1583 form and have all mail redirected from your address to their address. Going in person to a post office location is the easiest way for someone to follow through with this form of identity theft. The way this works is, individuals with bad intentions will complete a USPS change of address without the resident’s agreement. It is the illegal and unauthorized request to change someone’s mailing address, without their consent. Today we will be discussing address fraud a growing plague that is the leading contributing factor responsible for mail theft. There will always be people, with illicit motives trying to take advantage of a widow or other vulnerable members of society, given the opportunity. As humans we may have been around for a while, but one thing that seems to have not ended, is fraud.
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