Full Notification

Celina, OH – Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey reported today that his office is working with the United States Postal Inspection Service on several fraud/scam complaints. In the past week more than a dozen complaints have been filed in various Mercer County jurisdictions regarding the scams.



Suspects are opening up credit card accounts in the victim’s name, then filing a change of address with the postal service online to an out of state address. The goal of the suspect is to have the new credit card sent to the new address.



Victims are finding out about the scam when they notice that they are not receiving mail and check with the local post office. When they check, they find out their address has been changed. One local postmaster noticed the unusual activity and contacted the victims before changes occurred. This avoided several more victims. Post offices in the area are being notified by sheriff’s detectives and the Postal Inspection Service to be on the lookout for suspicious address changes.



“I encourage people to be vigilant and if you notice that you are not receiving your mail, check with your post office right away,” stated Sheriff Grey. “It is also good to check your credit report at the three credit bureaus annually to ensure that credit has not been improperly established in your name.” The Sheriff’s Office has a lot of information on its website, www.mercercountysheriff.org pertaining to scams and identity theft. We encourage people to browse our website for helpful tips.