The United States Postal Service has launched a new service that might help you stay one step ahead of mail fraud.
A new mobile app based on the USPS Informed Delivery program lets you see photos of your incoming mail, as well as manage package deliveries, right from your phone.
Perhaps more importantly, using Informed Delivery can help you catch mail fraud early in the process. Informed Delivery has been available without the app for a few years, and the post office has previously said that using the service is a good way to track mail deliveries so you can make sure nothing goes missing.
As we reported about Informed Delivery in “Beware These 10 Signs of Identity Theft (Before It’s Too Late):”
“It gives you advance notice of mail sent to your house. So if a piece of mail departs from the post office but never makes it to your mailbox, you will know about it.”
Examples of fraud that you might catch quickly by using Informed Delivery include:
- Check fraud: You’ll know someone might have intercepted a check for this purpose if Informed Delivery indicates that a payment was mailed to you, but it doesn’t reach your mailbox.
- Title fraud: If Informed Delivery indicates that real estate property-related documents were mailed to you, but they don’t reach your mailbox, you’ll know that someone might have intercepted them for this purpose.
- Identity theft: Any mail that contains personally identifying information could be used to help fraudsters steal your identity.
The postal service says you can use the new app to “view, interact with and manage” incoming mail. The app has a biometric login option — such as fingerprint or facial recognition — that can make the app both more secure and more convenient to use.
The app also has enhanced capability for tracking packages. Users can scan tracking numbers and barcodes and share the status of their packages with others.
There are now three ways to access Informed Delivery:
- The new mobile app, which is available at both the Apple App Store and the Google Play store
- Email alerts
- The USPS website
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