Man Allegedly Used Change Of Address Form To Move UPS Headquarters To His (Chicago) Apartment

[underpants]

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/10/610102872/man-allegedly-used-change-of-address-form-to-move-ups-headquarters-to-his-apartm

He requested changing a corporation's mailing address from an address in Atlanta to the address of his apartment on Chicago's North Side.

The post office duly updated the address, and Henderson-Spruce allegedly began receiving the company's mail — including checks. It went on for months. Prosecutors say he deposited some $58,000 in checks improperly forwarded to his address.

The corporation isn't named in the court documents, but the Chicago Tribune reports that it's the shipping company UPS.

While this case is eye-popping — no one at the post office thought it weird that a guy was getting thousands of pieces of a company's mail forwarded to his apartment? — there have been many reports of regular people having their mailing addresses changed without their knowledge.

[bluedigger]

1. I bet his postman had a good laugh delivering his mail.

[cynatnite]

2. Is it really that easy?

Imagine doing that with Bank of America or any other company for that matter.

[underpants]

3. As the article states this is done to individuals too

Seriously someone should have caught this.

[mopinko]

4. this is in my hood.

gotta love it.

[cyclonefence]

5. I am flabbergasted by this guy's ingenuity and chutzpah

He reminds me of the guy who wrote his account number on all the deposit slips in the bank.

[jberryhill]

7. My favorite is the prison inmate who forged his release papers

I think I read somewhere that criminals tend to be really really dumb, or really really smart.

[marylandblue]

6. Nobody at UPS noticed they weren't getting any mail?

[jberryhill]

8. meh, they never know when anything is going to be delivered

[Generic Other]

10. That was funny!

[Moosepoop]

9. Someone at UPS Headquarters dropped the ball.

When a change of address form is filled out, the USPS automatically sends a "Move Validation Letter" (MVL) to the person moving (though it's always been more in the form of a postcard, in my experience). It's sent to the address being moved from. It says something like "Dear So-and-So, you have filed a change of address form with us. If you did not make this request, contact us at blah blah blah..."

This is intended to alert a person who has had someone else forward their mail without their knowledge. A letter or card would have been sent to the UPS headquarters address. Whoever's desk it landed on perhaps didn't read it carefully and tossed it thinking it was junk mail, or just didn't take it seriously. I'll bet there's a protocol in place for such an event now, though.

[Major Nikon]

11. Happened to me once

In the days before direct deposit it was common to get checks in the mail. A suspicious employee at a check cashing place called me and I told them to call the cops. They were able to stall him till the cops got there and they found a bunch of my mail in his car. He spent about 4 years in the federal pen for that and other charges.