![]() ![]() Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Next” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. To support our work, we are paid for providing advertising services. Our reporters create honest, accurate, and objective content to help you make decisions. “We want to make sure anyone needing to change their address is aware of the possible dangers of using one of these sites,” Avery says. Or, they file the Change-of-Address offline, avoiding the $1.10 charge completely. Once the website has all the info they need, the proprietors file the Change-of-Address, pay the USPS’s required $1.10 online identity verification fee, and pocket the rest of the money. The mover willingly enters their personal information, as well as their credit card number. The mover clicks on a link, not noticing that they’re visiting a third-party website. ![]() This is how they’re able to trick so many people into overpaying.” “These change of address sites go to great lengths to imply association with the Postal Service,” says Postal Inspector Andrea Avery, “but they are not affiliated with USPS® in any way. They pay for premium search engine results positioning, which is how these websites appear above the official USPS® Change-of-Address site after an internet search is conducted. Here’s how it typically works: A mover performs an internet search for something like “moving change of address.” Instantly, a number of official-looking websites appear in the results field - many of which even incorporate the “USPS®” registered trademark into their names. In July 2020, the Better Business Bureau issued an alert for fake change-of-address scams. Thousands of people fall victim to scam sites yearly ![]() Any site that continues to bill you monthly is not affiliated with the USPS®. The $1.10 USPS online identity verification fee is a one-time charge. Check the legal disclaimers, as this is often where sites disclose charges for their services. If you can’t find a price when you put in your card information, or see anything indicating you’ll be paying more than $1.10 to change your address online, you’re not in the right place. This credit card charge is necessary for identity verification and, in turn, fraud protection. Postal Service charges only $1.10 for an online Change-of-Address filing. Official USPS Change-of-Address websites include “” somewhere in the URL or have the USPS logo if they are an authorized affiliate like MYMOVE, which allows you to complete your Change-of-Address for the same price as the USPS website. MYMOVE offers some simple steps movers can take to differentiate these websites from the real deal. Not all of these are necessarily “scams” - your Change-of-Address will often be filed with the USPS - but you’ll pay much more than necessary, and your data may not be secure in the process.īecause of their premier internet search results positioning and credible, authoritative appearance, Change-of-Address scams can be difficult to detect. ![]() flag, but they charge $179.95 for a service that only costs $1.10.Īt any given time, there are more than a dozen websites that will entice you to fill out a Change-of-Address form. How can you tell if the site is a scam? Sites like pay to appear in search results and contain official-looking icons like the U.S. ![]()
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