A Baltimore resident is getting mail for strangers. He's received nearly two dozen letters, including court summons and MVA notices. And he thinks someone may be coming to collect the mail before he gets to it.
“Bank statements, lawyer letter, more lawyer letters. This one was actually returned to sender, but the post office sent it back. It's just all these lawyer letters, and then this is a court summons,” said Nick, who asked that we conceal his identity due to privacy and safety concerns.
So far, he's received around 20 pieces of mail for people who do not live at his address, but there are some that are missing.
“When I go to the box, they're not there,” he added.
Nick knows that because he can see the pieces of mail through USPS Informed Delivery emails. And he’s noticed the mail missing is mostly from the Motor Vehicle Administration.
“It could be like an ID or, you know, like a registration,” said Nick.
He contacted the MVA and the agency sent out an investigator.
“And they said that there were five people, including my mom and I, that were getting mail here, but, of course, there should only be two ,” said Nick.
“So they know for a fact that there are three other people registered at the MVA to receive mail at your address?” WMAR-2 News Mallory Sofastaii asked.
“Yes, and he said that it was very recent too,” Nick replied.
Eric Danz, manager of investigations and security services at the MVA oversees these complaints.
“Address fraud is when someone will just use an address for their MVA product that's not theirs, they don't live there,” said Danz.
“And is that illegal? “ Sofastaii asked.
“Yes, it is,” Danz responded.
He added that his division receives several complaints of address fraud each month.
“And we'll go back to that homeowner and say, do you know these people? And frequently, they’re like, no, there's like five other people using this address and then we'll follow up on that. We'll put flags on those individuals, so from that point on, they cannot do any MVA transactions til they meet with one of our investigators,” Danz said.
In many cases, the perpetrators are attempting to get a license.
“If the police are happening to be looking for this individual, they'll go to that address that's listed in their MVA record, knock on the door, and the homeowner will say I don't know this person, and then there might be another police agency or a bill collector or somebody knocking on the door, and it can be very annoying,” said Danz.
This brings little comfort to Nick who is now taking steps to secure his mailbox, identity, and address.
“We just ordered a locked mailbox, and we have a camera system coming that will literally look right down into the box,” said Nick. “It freaks me out a lot.”
WMAR-2 News tried looking up the individuals using Nick’s address but couldn't find their contact information or court case history.
Sofastaii also asked the MVA if they can proactively identify address fraud if many people are using the same address. Danz said they have thresholds in their system that'll notify them but didn't share that number.
A spokesperson with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said customers should report any suspicious activity or non-receipt of mail to them or your local post office. Click here to report mail fraud or missing mail to USPIS.
And click here to file a complaint with the MVA’s Office of Investigations.
Most Popular
Comments / 0