Mail Fraud For Vacant Homes
A postal inspector once called a real estate agent about a listed property that was vacant.
The USPS guy was not interested in buying the home (too bad for the agent!); he instead needed a way to get in touch with the sellers.
Many people leave their homes vacant and forget to stop and/or forward their mail.
In this case, a criminal used a stolen credit card to order merchandise which he, in turn, had sent to the vacant home. He also arranged to have his mail and all of his bills sent to the same address.
When it got dark, he would go to the house and grab his stuff.
After the real estate agent relayed the story to the seller, he quickly installed a lock on the mailbox and had mail delivery re-routed to the local post office for pick-up.
He could have also chosen to have his mail forwarded to his new home, of course.
When leaving a home vacant, be sure to tell your neighbors to keep an eye on the house and remind them that mail and packages should not arrive on your doorstep.
The local police department should also be notified that the property is vacant.
As an added precaution on For Sale homes, make sure that the marketing materials do not mention that the home is vacant — it’s an invitation for fraud.
