According to the USPS, they processed upwards of 40 million address changes annually in recent years, though Postal Inspectors have found that some customers paid for an address change on websites with domain names that are not associated with the Postal Service.
Investigators said that the sites charge customers up to $40 to change an address, and in some cases, the change never gets officially made. The Postal Service has no affiliation with the businesses that manage those sites and all address changes should be made at usps.com.
The Postal Service charges $1.05 for identity verification for customers who change an address using its “official change of address order.” Another option, which is free, allows customers to mail that order to any post office. That order can be printed after it is completed and then picked up at that post office.
Anyone who used a website other than usps.com to change an address and wants to request a refund has been advised to contact that business.
“SCAM ALERT: Don’t be fooled by fake websites that charge you to change your mailing address,” The USPS posted on Twitter. “Be safe! ONLY go to http://www.usps.com or your local post office to change your address. We're working hard to identify bogus sites & get them shut down. #USPIS #FightFraud"
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