USPS seeing major increase in change of address fraud

OLYMPIA — The Washington State Department of Retirement Systems announced Tuesday a major increase in change of address fraud has caught the attention of the United States Postal Service and federal lawmakers.

According to the announcement, data shows that change of address fraud and other types of identity theft numbers are up 167% from 2021 to 2022. The announcement said that the United States Postal Inspector’s office stated that seniors are the most likely targets and lawmakers are now asking USPS to tighten the identity verification process.

If a criminal submits a new change of address form under an individual’s name with an address other than that individual’s, it re-routes the mail to the new address, said the announcement. This allows the theft of the individual’s personal information, checks and other items. Now, people can submit a change of address form to USPS online, in person or by mail. USPS will send a validation in response to let people know that a request was received and what to do if it’s fraudulent.

The USPS said there are multiple ways to fight the fraud, including switching monthly payments to direct deposit to avoid them entering the USPS system at all, as well as choosing to receive statements and correspondence through email rather than physical mail.

The announcement said that individuals who still want to receive items through the mail but want to protect their safety can periodically check in with the post office and make sure they have the correct address, watch for and open all mail from USPS, note any missing mail, and check their credit rating and bills monthly for strange activity.

For more information visit www.uspis.gov/tips-prevention.