Fake Mailbox Relocation / USPS Update Scam
Fake notices claim a local mailbox is being relocated or decommissioned and ask residents to pay a fee or confirm personal details to update delivery preferences, actually harvesting data or redirecting mail.
Last reviewed: 5 July 2026
What this scam is
This scam impersonates a national postal service, claiming that a local mailbox, delivery point, or postal route is being relocated, decommissioned, or reorganised, and that the recipient must take action to avoid disruption to their mail delivery. The notice typically arrives by email or text and asks the recipient to confirm their address, update their delivery preferences, or pay a small administrative fee through a linked website.
The scam is built to feel like a routine, low-stakes bureaucratic notice rather than an obvious financial threat, which is precisely what makes it effective; most people have little detailed knowledge of how postal route changes are genuinely communicated, making a plausible-sounding notice difficult to immediately dismiss as false.
Beyond harvesting payment card details through the fee request, a more serious variant of this scam collects enough personal and address information to file a fraudulent mail forwarding request with the real postal service, redirecting the victim's genuine mail — including bank statements, cards, and official correspondence — to an address controlled by the fraudster, enabling further identity theft.
How it works
The scam begins with an email or text designed to resemble an official postal service communication, announcing that a mailbox or delivery route serving the recipient's address is being relocated, closed, or updated. It states that the recipient must confirm their preferred delivery details or pay a nominal administrative fee to avoid delayed or lost mail.
The linked page closely mimics the postal service's real website, requesting personal information such as name, address, date of birth, and sometimes partial or full payment card details to cover the stated fee. In more damaging versions, the information collected — particularly a claimed 'new' or 'temporary' address — is used to submit a genuine mail forwarding request to the real postal service, exploiting weaknesses in address verification for such requests.
Once the fraudulent forwarding request is processed, or once payment details are captured, the victim may begin missing genuine mail, including bank and financial correspondence, while the fraudster receives redirected mail or exploits captured card details for unauthorised transactions. The victim often only discovers the fraud when they notice missing mail, receive a forwarding confirmation notice they never requested, or see unexplained charges on their card.
Why this scam works
The scam works because postal route and mailbox changes are a genuine, if infrequent, occurrence that most people have limited detailed knowledge of, making a fabricated notice difficult to confidently identify as false without checking directly with the postal service. The bureaucratic, administrative framing feels mundane rather than alarming, lowering the recipient's guard compared with a more overtly threatening scam message.
The potential downstream harm — genuine mail forwarding being fraudulently redirected — is particularly effective because it exploits gaps in how some postal services verify forwarding requests, turning a seemingly minor scam into a serious identity theft and financial fraud enabler.
A typical pattern
A resident receives an official-looking email or text claiming to be from their national postal service, stating that their local mailbox or delivery point is being relocated or decommissioned due to a route change, and that they must confirm their new preferred delivery address or pay a small administrative fee to update their mail forwarding preferences to avoid disruption. The message includes a link that opens a page closely resembling the postal service's real website, asking for personal details, a partial payment card number, or a fee to 'process' the change. Believing this is a routine administrative update affecting their neighbourhood, the resident completes the form. Weeks later they notice unexplained changes to their mail delivery, unfamiliar card charges, or discover mail addressed to them has been redirected to an address they never provided, and the postal service confirms no such mailbox relocation notice was ever issued.
Common red flags
- Unsolicited message claims your mailbox or delivery route is being relocated or decommissioned
- You are asked to pay a fee to maintain normal mail delivery
- The message asks for personal details including a 'new' or 'temporary' delivery address
- The linked website closely resembles the postal service but has a slightly incorrect domain name
- You receive a mail forwarding confirmation you never requested
- Your genuine mail begins arriving late, incomplete, or stops arriving without explanation
- The postal service's official customer service has no record of the notice when you contact them directly
Sanitized example messages
Illustrative, sanitized examples. Personal details are replaced with placeholders such as [phone number] and [fake link].
Your local mailbox is being relocated due to a route change. Confirm your delivery preferences here: [link]
A small administrative fee of [amount] is required to update your mail forwarding details and avoid disruption.
Your PO box renewal is overdue. Complete payment now to avoid closure: [link]
A mail forwarding request has been set up for your address. Click here to cancel if this was not you: [link]
Common variations
- Notice claims a PO box is being closed and must be renewed urgently by payment
- Scam impersonates a private courier rather than the national postal service
- Fake notice claims a new delivery locker or parcel point requires registration with personal details
- Message claims a mail hold or redirection has already been set up and must be 'cancelled' by clicking a link
- Scam targets businesses claiming a commercial mailing address is being reassigned
How to verify before you act
Contact your national postal service directly through their official website or customer service line, never through a link or number in the suspicious message, to confirm whether any mailbox relocation, route change, or delivery update notice has genuinely been issued for your address. Genuine postal route changes are typically communicated through official channels and do not require payment of a fee to maintain normal delivery.
Regularly check your postal service's official account or notification system, if available, for any mail forwarding requests filed under your name, and report immediately any forwarding request you did not personally submit.
Payment methods used
- Cryptocurrency
- Bank/wire transfer
- Gift cards
- Money transfer services
- Payment apps to 'friends & family'
Who is usually targeted
- Residents in areas with genuine, recent postal route changes
- People who rely heavily on mail for financial and official correspondence
- Small businesses using PO boxes or commercial mailing addresses
What to do immediately
- Do not click the link or pay any fee; contact your postal service directly to verify the notice
- Check your postal service's official account for any forwarding request filed under your name
- If a fraudulent forwarding request is found, cancel it immediately through official channels
- If you entered payment details, contact your card issuer to flag potential fraud
- Monitor your mail delivery closely for signs of disruption or missing items
- Report the notice to your postal service's fraud or security team
How to prevent it
- Verify any mailbox or delivery route change directly with your postal service through official contact channels
- Never pay a fee through a link in an unsolicited postal notice
- Regularly check your postal service's official account for any mail forwarding requests filed under your name
- Set up mail delivery alerts or notifications through your postal service's official app if available
- Report any mail forwarding request you did not submit to your postal service immediately
- Be cautious of any message combining a bureaucratic explanation with a request for payment or personal details
- Shred or securely dispose of any mail containing personal information to reduce identity theft risk generally
Evidence to preserve
- The original email or text, including sender details
- Screenshots of the fake website and any URL shown
- Any forwarding confirmation notice received
- Bank or card statements showing any disputed charges
- Correspondence with the postal service confirming no genuine notice was issued
Where to report it
- Action Fraud (UK) — UK national fraud & cybercrime reporting centre
- FTC ReportFraud (US) — US Federal Trade Commission fraud reports
- FBI IC3 (US) — US Internet Crime Complaint Center
- Scamwatch (Australia) — Australian competition & consumer reporting
- Your bank's fraud line — Use the number on the back of your card or in your banking app — never a number the caller gives you
Always verify reporting routes and emergency contacts on the official government or agency website for your country.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a mailbox relocation notice is genuine?
Contact your national postal service directly through their official website or customer service line, not through any link or number in the notice itself, and ask them to confirm whether a genuine relocation or route change notice has been issued for your address.
I think a fraudulent mail forwarding request has been set up in my name — what should I do?
Contact your postal service immediately to check for and cancel any forwarding request you did not submit. Monitor your mail closely for signs of disruption, and consider placing a fraud alert with a credit reference agency, since redirected mail can be used to facilitate further identity theft.
Why would a fee ever be requested for a routine postal change?
Genuine mailbox relocations, route changes, and delivery updates from postal services do not typically require a fee to maintain normal service. Any request for payment in connection with such a notice should be treated as a strong indicator of fraud.