New scam? USPS HOLD MAIL

[trof]

I was stopping the mail while we'll be out of town.
I searched "USPS HOLD MAIL".
The first hit was this: "Hold Mail Request | Schedule Your Hold Mail Online"
Just what I was looking for.
I clicked on it.

Took me to a website where I filled in the standard stuff; dates, name, address, etc.
Hit the submit button and got "There will be a one time charge of $9.99 for this service."
WHA?
BULLSHIT!
Then I looked at the web address.
www.usholdmail.com

I cancelled and went to the usps.com website.
Don't fall for this.

[elleng]

1. THANKS!

[trof]

2. Hey ellen!

[elleng]

3. HEY, trof!

Sadly not planning to travel far, but good info.

[Sherman A1]

4. Thanks for posting

[Cattledog]

5. They got part of what they wanted.

Your name, address & email. Always check!

[global1]

7. Now They Know When You Will Not Be Home.....

You might want to contact the local police and explain what happened to you and ask them to be extra vigilant in watching your house when you are gone. Also - let the neighbors know to keep and eye on your house as well.

[Auggie]

10. THIS

Smart thinking.

[trof]

17. Yeah, I figured that out. Called our PD.

They'll monitor the house while we're gone.
Plus good neighbors and Neighborhood Watch, which I highly recommend.

[likesmountains 52]

6. I fell for something similar trying to renew license plates in Colorado.

Following the instructions that came in the mail, I clicked on the first link "Renew Colorado License", filled out the form and was asked to pay $19.99...scams everywhere.

[Delmette2.0]

8. A similar thing happens when you change your address.

Please pay attention to the actual website!!

[SCVDem]

9. I got knicked $60

just for a change of address.

Off to my CU and file a fraud report and got my money back.

[groundloop]

11. Don'tcha just love 'free enterprise'?

Shit like this needs to be regulated out of existence..... yet another reason we need Democrats to win back control of our government.

[elfin]

12. That wasn't the real USPS

You need to scrutinize the URL to make sure it is the government PO and not another site posing as USPS.

The only thing the PO charges is $1 for a change of address and forwarding for a stretch of time.

The PO isn't a scam, but the sites posing as the PO are.

[yaesu]

13. yep, be careful, I go to the USPS site, sign in, & navigate from there, lots of frauds out there

when we have a criminal in charge.

[Smackdown2019]

14. Website

USPS.Com is the site to goto for all services from holding mail, inform delivery setup, passports, calculate postage for packages, and etc. Only charges the website will deduct for your credit or debit card is if you use the online change of address service, which is a $1. Reason is to ensure you are the person requesting the C.O.A. through your card, to prevent fraud.

As for all other websites, when paying online, verify that the website is real and not a knockoff of a site you are truly are seeking. If unsure, call the institution you seek to verify that the website is theirs. Do not use the phone number the unsure website is providing to you. As for USPS, 1 800 ASK USPS is the phone number.

[eggplant]

15. Even worse...

...you are telling the scammers when you will be out of town.

[question everything]

16. After the disaster that I had with Microsoft Office, when I googled the site

and ended up giving scammers access to my computer - but thankfully managed to abort it - I no longer use google when I can.

Earlier I paid my property tax online. I started googling for the county property tax site but then realized that I had the address on the statement and entered it directly into the URL window.