What is Address Fraud?

The highest-level cyber crimes involving credit card fraud, account takeover attacks, and identity theft all intersect with one low-tech piece of information: the victim's mailing address. Criminals use this address to get access to products and services for their own gain, and to create a false or inaccurate identity that gives them access to financial resources. This is known as address fraud, and it can lead to expensive chargeback disputes for merchants.



Changing your address is fairly simple, but that's also what makes it easy for criminals to hijack your identity and redirect mail to a different address. USPS has some safeguards in place to prevent this, like sending move validation letters to both your old and new address upon a change of address request. However, those letters can take weeks to arrive, giving criminals plenty of time to dig in and make changes to your identity.

Another type of address fraud is illegal mail forwarding, which is when a criminal uses your real mail address to get access to your sensitive information. This can include fraudulent bank accounts, credit cards, or loans opened in your name without your knowledge, and it can even damage your credit score.

Address fraud is not only a financial crime, but it can also be a big headache for people trying to get the services they need, including health care and housing benefits. For example, I know a woman who moved to a new city but failed to notify the authorities of her new address. So, her local government has been unable to contact her for years, and she's missed out on vital support.

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