Beware of sites that charge to change addresses

The United States Postal Service is warning consumers of a “change of address” scam they are seeing more often.

Postal inspectors say the scam gets people to change their address on websites run by private businesses. These companies charge victims anywhere from $17 to $24 to file a simple change of address form.

The scam is nothing new. In 2011, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service reported a similar scam involving private websites that charge $20 to $30 for a change in address.

“Some people report they are charged a dollar at first [on these other sites], but then a short time later, there’s another charge for additional services they did not knowingly purchase,” says Miranda Perry with Scambook.com, an online complaint resolution site that has fielded several complaints about “change of address” scams recently.

Numerous complaints have also been filed recently with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). The BBB has received more than 150 complaints in the last year about Change-My-Address.com. Change-My-Address has an ‘F’ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

Some consumers who paid these companies discovered that the company did not update their addresses, resulting in the loss of several weeks’ worth of mail.

Encourage your clients to file a change of address for free by visiting their neighborhood post office. A change of address form can be submitted directly to the U.S. Postal Service website for $1 at USPS.com.

Anyone with information about scams or frauds is asked to report it to Postal Inspectors online.