Change Of Address Requests
A copy of the following letter was received by the Gazette.
Honorable Jack Potter
Postmaster General
United States Postal Service
475 L'enfant Place SW
Washington, DC 20260-0010
Dear Postmaster General Potter:

I am writing to bring to your attention a very serious matter concerning the processing of United States Postal Service (USPS) "change of address" requests, and to urge that the USPS take immediate action to change its procedures. Specifically, I am requesting that the USPS mandate that all persons requesting a change of address be required to appear in person at their local post office and to present proof of identity, and that confirmation notices be immediately sent to those who allegedly requested that their mailing address be changed.

The serious shortcomings in the USPS current procedures regarding change of address requests were brought to my attention by one of my constituents in Queens, New York, who fell prey to identity theft as a result of these procedures. Without her knowledge, a person pretending to be her went to the local post office and filed a change of address request. My constituent was not aware that this had happened until the USPS sent her a confirmation notice, three weeks later, regarding the address change. She immediately went to her local post office to cancel the change of address, but the damage had already been done.

Soon thereafter, my constituent began receiving calls from her insurance company, her credit card companies and other creditors to inquire about the change of address and/or to question suspicious charges on her accounts. Thousands of dollars of unauthorized charges had been made in her name, and new accounts had been opened without her knowledge. My constituent is now dealing on a daily basis with the dreadful aftermath of this scenario, which may have been prevented had the USPS had better security and antiidentity theft procedures in place.

For the sake of my constituent and the many other unsuspecting postal customers who might ultimately find themselves in this unnecessary and dreadful situation, I strongly urge that the USPS make immediate changes in its change of address procedures to protect their identity and security. I would appreciate hearing from you on this matter at your earliest convenience, and strongly believe that speed is of the essence in reforming USPS procedures. Thank you for your attention to this very important matter.
Sincerely,
George Onorato
State Senator, 12th District