Scammer successfully files change of address for UPS headquarters

A scammer successfully filed a change-of-address form with the United States Postal Service to have the headquarters of courier UPS moved to a small private apartment in Chicago—and it was months before anyone noticed.

In the meantime, resident Dushaun Spruce received thousands of pieces of first-class mail meant for UPS, including sensitive documents, letters meant for executives, corporate credit cards, and tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of business cheques.

UPS found out when Spruce allegedly deposited almost $60,000 from the cheques into his bank account earlier this year, according to court papers.

Spruce was served with a search warrant but hasn’t been criminally charged. An investigation is now underway by postal inspectors and federal prosecutors.

Normally, when a change-of-address request is made, a validation letter is sent to both old and new addresses, with warnings of fines and imprisonment for false information. According to the Chicago Tribune, however, a relatively small portion of requests are investigated—typically fewer than a thousand a year. Almost 37 million change-of-address requests were made to USPS in 2017.

According to an affidavit, Spruce’s initials were written on the signature line, then crossed out and replaced with “UPS”.

Spruce had previously worked as a package handler at UPS, according to his Facebook profile. He has denied any wrongdoing.

(Source: Chicago Tribune)