It is crucial that you identity theft protect your mail because getting your physical address and raiding or diverting your mail to another place is very easy for identity thieves. Surprisingly going through formal channels to request an address change is child’s play and can be done in moments from any Post Office and even online.

Armed with your address and possibly several other important pieces of information about you, all the ID thief has to do now is lift a card from the easy-access display in the post office and fill it in or switch on the computer and visit the official website for the US Postal Service. Verification is required for the online request/notification, normally using details from a valid credit or debit card with a billing address the same as the ‘old’ one being changed. Well, thanks for that protection…oh wait; they probably got my statements too!

Identity theft protect your Mailbox. If you notice that you’re not getting mail for several days in a row, you should be suspicious of a deeper problem. There may be occasions in your calendar when mail delivery is slack but it is worth keeping watch on the pattern to see if it has been interfered with.

The use of stolen Postal uniforms by criminals in 2002 shows just how elaborate the schemes can be when criminals are determined to steal the mail, often the most valuable contents being the details of the addressee. If your identity is stolen it can be very difficult to rectify some of the dreadful things you may be legally liable for until you can ‘prove’ your own identity and have your good name, reputation and credit rating restored. Yes, you might think proving that you are YOU would be a simple task, but it isn’t! ID theft is a growing crime and though we all recognize that we have to be safe when we are on the Internet, we’ve forgotten the ‘old school’ method using hard copy for a modern crime and that is why its important to identity theft protect your mail.

At least recognize your mailman, and familiarize yourself with the delivery schedule in your area so that you are not duped or become the victim of identity theft. One of the most important tactics to identity theft protect your mail is to NEVER trash any mail or papers that have your name and address on them.