'Mail-forwarding fraud complaints jump more than 700% in 2016'

 
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Mail-forwarding fraud complaints jump more than 700% in 2016
 

Canadians might want to check their mailboxes closely this year to make sure everything is showing up.

Complaints of mail-forwarding fraud for 2016 are more than seven times higher than for 2015, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

The scheme involves a fraudster impersonating someone and rerouting that person's mail through Canada Post, either to a residence or a business address. 

Often, the unsuspecting victim doesn't realize he or she has been targeted until that person receives a slip in the mail alerting that the address has been changed....

 

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/nova-scotia/mail-forwarding-fraud-on-the-rise-canada-post-online-...

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'Mail-forwarding fraud complaints jump more than 700% in 2016'

 

Is it really as easy as that??  Wow.  I am old school, and used to be to have mail forwarded you had to go to the post office, fill out their card, and show ID (and pay for the service).  No ID, no service.  

 

This sounds like all a thief needs do is go to the CP site and enter the victim's name, address, and phone number.  Easy as that.  Can that be right?  

 

If that is all it takes, I am surprised it doesn't happen more.  You know the sort of thing, 'ex'es  sticking it to each other as a retaliatory prank, etc.  

 

Or did I neglect to absorb some important and obvious bit of information?

 

  

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'Mail-forwarding fraud complaints jump more than 700% in 2016'

I don't know, I read it the same as you did. It looks like if you want to complete a Mail Forwarding request online, all you need is the scant information that any of us supply on our outgoing shipping labels. Which is chilling if it is true. It's been years since I forwarded mail, but I'm pretty sure I always did it at the postal counter because I didn't trust the online form process at the time. This might explain the reason that kind of fraud is up 600 per cent. I thought it important to share if that was the case.

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'Mail-forwarding fraud complaints jump more than 700% in 2016'

 

That is what it sounds like to me, too, according to my reading of this article.  "Chilling" is an understatement.  Last time I had to do that there was no online Canada Post.  I never imagined that changing someone's address would be as easy as logging on and doing it, no questions asked.  So if your neighbor doesn't like that tree hanging over into his yard, and you won't cut it down, he thinks, "I'll fix you".  There must be more to it than that.  It's worse than posting someone's (fake) obituary.  

 

 

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'Mail-forwarding fraud complaints jump more than 700% in 2016'

https://www.canadapost.ca/web/en/products/details.page?article=forward_your_mail_wh&ecid=display|ddn...

 

Starting at $49.95 for 3 months of temporary mail forwarding.

 

If identity not confirmed online, the online buyer gets a barcode to take to their local post office to confirm their ID.

 

...

 

A job for the more serious, organized criminal.

 

-..-

 

And how many of the 479 complaints involved the Fort Mac fire shuffle?

 

-..-

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'Mail-forwarding fraud complaints jump more than 700% in 2016'


@ypdc_dennis wrote:

 

And how many of the 479 complaints involved the Fort Mac fire shuffle?


The more I think about it, this does seem more likely, because the mail forwarding fee for Fort Mac area residents was waived (for a time) and government ID to verify was unavailable for many at the start.

 

So no fee and looser verification process...

 

...

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