What Is Address Fraud
It is the illegal and unauthorized request to change someoneâs mailing address, without their consent.
The way this works is, individuals with bad intentions will complete a USPS change of address without the residentâs agreement. Going in person to a post office location is the easiest way for someone to follow through with this form of identity theft. They will simply fill out the 1583 form and have all mail redirected from your address to their address. That means that all credit card information, your social security number are now at their hands to use as they wish.
What is troubling, is the ease with which someone can request a change of address without your knowledge. All they need essentially, is your name and street address; theyâll handle the restâ¦
The good news is, the only way for someone to complete a change of address successfully without you being notified of it, is offline. So there is no way that someone across the world can complete such a process off of their computer. That is due to the $1 verification charge that the USPS website will enable, to verify your information and bank account.
The statistics are troubling; over 700 changes of address completed every year are fraudulent. 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. So clearly the difficulty in tracking such activity is quite high.
When Does Mail Forwarding With Usps Start
After submitting your change of address form, the service will be available in 7 to 10 days. This means you need to fill out the form earlier to get all your mail.
Ensure you choose the proper day for the service to start forwarding your mail to the new address. You dont have to worry as your mail will not be redirected before then.; ;
Are These Usps Address Change Forms Available Online
In the old days, you used to have to visit a post office location to get a form to request mail forwarding. Today, most people find their USPS address change forms online.
An address change with the USPS is fairly straightforward to do.
A quick internet search will show you different mail forwarding results but you dont need to get your form through a third party.
You can simply visit one of the above moving references to find all of your mail forwarding options in one place.
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Why Use A Mailing Address Change Service
At first, it might sound counterintuitive. We definitely understand. Why use a US mailing address change service when the same service is available for free from the US government? The reason is that moving is an extremely hectic process complete with dozens of different factors. You not only have to find someone to move your familys possessions across the country, but you also have to deal with finding new schools, buying a new house, packing all of your belongings, and actually planning the trip to get to your new home.Changing your address for your mail or the countless services you subscribe to is usually last on the list. We find that many of our clients use our service simply for the convenience. A low, one-time fee is almost certainly worth the peace of mind and the time freed up to focus on what really matters. Of course, thats not the only reason our customers come to us. Heres why more and more Americans are turning to automated services to handle their form filing needs:
Using a service like ours will:
How To Avoid Address Fraud
There are a few ways to avoid becoming a victim of address fraud. While you might be able to come up with better ways but weâve found that our tips have worked a crazy amount. Are you curious? We bet you are! Donât fret, we are going to divulge all our secrets now.
To start with, you need to be extremely careful about who you share your information with. While you canât cut out the fact that some people will know where you live, you should implement the following steps to hide it as best you can.
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Do You Get A Confirmation That Your Request Was Received
When doing an address change with the USPS, you will get a confirmation in the form of a Move Validation letter when you have fulfilled the mail forwarding request process.
After you have submitted your completed change of address form, the post office will process that form and then automatically ship out a Move Validation letter to your current address to let you know that they got your request.
As stated before, it can take up to 10 postal days to have the address change form processed by the USPS.
Once they have completed the processing, they will mail another document, the USPS Customer Notification Letter or Welcome Kit, to your new address.
The letter will contain a confirmation code that you can use to check your mail forwarding status and edit your forwarding request as needed in the future.
The letter also includes information about moving services and various coupons for you to use when setting up your new home.
Remember that if you made all of your mail forwarding requests online, you would also get an email confirming your online applications receipt. The email will approve your request and give you a confirmation code.
Tips For Changing Your Address When You Move
Your new home is everything you want, from the convenient location and friendly neighborhood to the wooded backyard and Cape Cod dormers. But before you can start enjoying your new residence, there’s a lot of work to do.
Whether you’re relocating across town or across the country, moving can be stressful. There are utilities to cancel and reinstate. You’ll need to choose a moving company or recruit some friends to help out. It’s time to return the things you borrowed from your neighbors and retrieve those they borrowed from you. And then there’s the packing.
With all of the chaos that comes with setting up new digs, you might think that changing your address is an insignificant item on your checklist. Although it may seem minor, it’s an important step for keeping at least part of your life running smoothly, while you hunt through boxes for your black shoes.
Read on for some helpful tips to make changing your address a little easier.
Contents
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What Do You Need To Do Next
After applying for a change mailing address, you need to update your mailing list which mostly includes:
- Any magazine subscriptions, etc.
- Business partners, investors, creditors, etc.
When you prepare your list ahead of time, youll ensure no mistakes happen like mail getting lost or being returned to the Post Office because of a wrong address. Youll get your mail delivered directly to you.
If you move and forget to apply for a USPS change of address altogether, your mail will either be sent back to the sender or forwarded to your new address , but its risky.
Read more here:;How to Forward Mail to Someone
How To Request A Change Of Address With Usps: Step
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You might need to change an address with the United States Postal Service in various situations. Maybe youre moving, or maybe youre helping someone you know and love. No matter whose address youre changing, the process is much the same.;
Jump ahead to these sections:
Whether you and your family are moving, or youre helping an elderly loved one move into permanent housing, or youre helping someone else change houses, the steps below will help you get started.;
Follow the points below if you need to request a change of address with the United States Postal Service.;
Post-planning tip: If you are the executor for a deceased loved one, it’s tough to handle both the emotional and technical aspects of their unfinished business without a way to organize your process. We have a post-loss checklist;that will help you ensure that your loved one’s family, estate, and other affairs are taken care of.
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When To Apply For A Change Of Address
The obvious answer is that you apply for a change of address when you move from one place to another. Youre either an individual or a whole family moving out or your business is relocating to a new address.
When you choose the type of move, you need to specify the mail forwarding date, which is the date you want to start receiving mail at your new address. It is preferred to set the date before you move to the new address because it takes from 7 to 10 days for the Post Office to forward your mail to the new address.
In this case, you can start receiving mail usually on your first day at your new address.
However, if it was a sudden move or youve failed to apply for one before moving, you can submit the request and backdate it for up to 3 months before the current date.
File A Complaint With The Us Postal Service
Do you have a complaint, compliment, or suggestion for the U.S. Postal Service ? Maybe youre looking for more information about USPSs services. There are several ways to let them know:
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Use the USPS websites Email Us form. Select an inquiry type that most closely relates to the complaint or question that you have. On the website, you can also file a claim or request a refund for shipping.
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Call 1-800-ASK-USPS or TTY: .
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Speak to the station manager at a local post office.
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Contact the district the postal consumer and industry affairs office that handles questions for your district. Find your district consumer office.
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or write to the U.S.; Postal Services Headquarters Consumer Advocate office at:
United States Postal Service
Office of the Consumer Advocate
475 L Enfant Plaza, SW
Washington, D.C. 20260-0004
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Change Of Address Online
The fastest way to start the change of address process is by going to USPS.com/move. There, youll give the USPS some information about your move. Youll let them know whos moving, and when.;
Youll also provide your old address and the new address, and the date from which you want mail forwarding to begin.;
The USPS charges a flat rate of $1.05 for the online change of address service. This fee covers a quick identity verification to make sure you are who you say you are.;
To complete the online change of address process, youll need:;
- Your current address
- Your future address;
- The date you want to begin mail forwarding;
- A credit or debit card
- A valid email address
As soon as you finish the change of address process online, USPS will send you an email verification to confirm the change.;
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How Do I Change My Address When I Move
movechange your addresschangechange your addressaddress
Every time you move house, your postal address changes so you’re going to have to change your address with the United States Postal Service to keep receiving your mail. You can change your address before the move takes place or right after you move into the new home.
how do I confirm a change of address? How to Confirm a Change in Mailing Address
Also asked, what do I need to change my address on when I move?
This change of address checklist will fill you in on who you need to give a heads up to about your new home.
- The post office.
- Your employer.
What happens if I don’t change my address?
Since these play such an important role for state and federal governments, failing to update a license or registration is actually a crime in most states. Generally, the crime is a misdemeanor and/or fines.
Why Steal Your Money When A Thief Can Steal Your Identity Instead
In the olden days, thieves would want to steal a persons possessions or their money. But as our financial system has become more and more interconnected, its become much easier to steal a persons identity.
Impersonating a person with a good credit score gives you access to tons of loans and credit cards. An identity thief can then use these loans and credit cards to purchase all sorts of goodswithout ever being responsible for paying their lenders back. That responsibility, unfortunately, falls on the person whose identity was stolen.
The most important piece of information an identity thief can steal is your social security numberits like a password that allows them access to your entire life. But by stealing your address, your drivers license number, your credit and debit card info, or your online usernames and actual;passwords, an identity thief can still do a lot of damage.
Computers now give thieves much more advanced ways to access your information. By sending you a so-called phishing email, a thief can gain access to your computer and your email account. If anyone sends you an email asking you to click on a linkeven if it looks like its coming from your friends accountbe very, very cautious.
Then again, there is one online method of identity theft that requires barely any hacking at all.
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What Should You Do If You Havent Gotten Your Mail Like You Were Supposed To
Every now and then, a USPS address change will not go through as planned. Say you submitted your request form two weeks ago, but you discover the post office is not forwarding your mail.
What do you do to fix the problem? Fortunately, the solution should be pretty straightforward. Just take a trip to your local post office and tell them about your problem.
You will want to bring a photo ID with you so that you can prove your identity.
Changing your address with the post office is supposed to be a breeze, but occasionally there can be glitches.
Let The Post Office Know
When you move, it’s important to let the U.S. Postal Service know. You can do that in one of three ways:
- Submit your address change via the Internet. You will need a valid e-mail address to receive the USPS confirmation, and a credit or debit card. To safeguard your personal information, the post office electronically verifies the information you enter with the bank that issued your or debit card. The card billing address must match the address you are moving from or to. A $1 verification fee pays for a USPS contractor to provide this verification.
- Complete a change of address by phone — 1-800-ASK-USPS. The same identity verification is done when you call 1-800-ASK-USPS, so be sure to have a credit or debit card handy.
- Fill out Form 3575, the official mail forwarding change of address order. You can get the form from your post office or print it from the USPS Web site. You should complete and mail it to the address on the card two weeks before your move. Mailing will save you $1 since identity verification is not needed.
After you file the change, you can expect a move validation letter to arrive at your old address, unless you’ve already moved. In addition, seven to 10 days after your COA effective date, a confirmation letter will be sent to your new address, as well as a welcome kit, which contains helpful information, a community guide, special offers and coupons.
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