Mail forwarding scams are on the rise.
Scammers have apparently found a way to steal your mail without anyone realizing it for weeks.
A Webster resident is going through this exact scenario, and spoke with News10NBC about it.
Craig Pratt’s first move was to go to the post office after noticing he wasn’t getting much mail.
“About May 1, I noticed I was not getting any first-class mail, I wasn’t getting any bills from RG&E, Spectrum, BJ’s,” Pratt recalled. “He found out that my mail was going to a box in Las Vegas, a place called AAA mailboxes…he was able to show me on google maps.”
Someone requested a change of address in his name- and forwarded all of his mail to a box. The scammer was able to intercept a new credit card, activate it, and rack up $3,0000 in charges before Pratt realized what had happened.
The problem lies in what’s needed to actually request an address change or mail forwarding change. It costs $1.05 to do it online- and is free to do it in-person. All the scammer would need is a name, email address, and the old physical address- along with a new one to forward the mail.
“I think there needs to be more checks and balances than just paying a dollar on a credit card and putting in a false email address and a false phone number and having somebody’s mail for it,” Pratt told News10NBC after his experience.
The USPS claims it has systems in place to prevent things like this from happening. However, customers are urged to keep close tabs on their mail as these scams become more common.
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