SHERIFF CARMINE MARCENO’S JULY 2024 FRAUD ALERT: PREVENTING OTHERS FROM APPLYING FOR CREDIT CARDS IN YOUR NAME

Protecting one’s personal identity and avoiding falling victim to credit card fraud has become challenging for the average individual.

While credit card fraud often involves the theft of an individual’s personal information and creation of duplicate credit cards, a trend appears to have become popular where criminals steal credit card applications from a victim’s mailbox, apply for the card and steal the physical card from the victim’s mailbox upon its arrival.

As this sounds like a nearly impossible task, consider several factors:

To begin, many of us receive a nearly infinite volume of applications for credit cards. For criminals to roam through a neighborhood, open numerous mailboxes and find multiple credit card offers wouldn’t be a difficult endeavor.

Following the application for credit, thieves utilize “Informed Delivery by USPS” at the victim’s address. This free service notifies mail recipients of the impending arrival of mail including images of the mail to be delivered.

Once the criminals receive notification of the arrival of the credit card, they proceed to the home and retrieve the card before the victim has an opportunity to do so.

Theft of mail…and the crimes that occur as a result (i.e. check washing, package theft, identity theft) can, to some degree, be prevented.

Consider enrolling in the USPS Informed Delivery program. Participation is free and easy and keeps you aware of arriving mail. To learn more about the Informed Delivery program, or to sign up for this service, please visit https://www.usps.com/manage/informed-delivery.htm.

Always report slow-moving vehicles that appear to be “trawling” through the neighborhood…especially if stopping at mail boxes.

Be cognizant of mail delivery times and make efforts to retrieve your mail shortly thereafter. Do not leave mail, in the mailbox, overnight. Additionally, avoid (whenever possible) leaving outgoing mail in your mailbox for lengthy periods of time. Avoid leaving outgoing checks in the mailbox as this contributes to the “check washing” incidents.

Please immediately report suspicious activity to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office or to your local law enforcement agency.

Lastly, please consider requesting copies of your credit report from the major providers…Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. The three nationwide credit bureaus have a centralized website, toll-free telephone number and mailing address so you can order your free annual reports from one central location. Do not contact the three credit bureaus individually. Annual reports are provided at no charge.

Visit AnnualCreditReport.com or

Call 1-877-322-8228 or

Complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form found at https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action and mail it to:

Annual Credit Report Request Service

P.O. Box 105281

Atlanta, GA 30348-5281