Address fraud

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Address fraud is a type of fraud in which the perpetrator uses an inaccurate or fictitious address to steal money or other benefit, or to hide from authorities.[1] The crime may involve stating one's address as a place where s/he never lived, or continuing to use a previous address where one no longer lives as one's own.[2][3] Laws pertaining to these types of crimes vary by location.

In one form of address fraud, the perpetrator uses a former address as their current address to receive mail by deliberately failing to report an address change and using the old address on legal documents.[4]

In another form, a person misrepresents a communal mail box at their home as their exclusive address to take advantage of benefits available to others in the home.[5]

Motives for address fraud

The crime is often associated with identity theft, taking place in about one-third of identity theft cases.[6]

Address fraud has been committed by parents attempting to get their children into a

public school in a jurisdiction other than where they live. Public school systems generally require that students live in the municipality the school serves, and giving false information to gain admission is a crime.[7][8]

People have used address fraud to vote in a jurisdiction other than their own.

precinct.[10]

Some drivers commit address fraud to take advantage of lenient laws in a jurisdiction they don't live in. For example, a person may not qualify for a driver's license in their own state, but may qualify in another. Most states require that new residents get a state driver's license within a certain time of establishing residency—for example, 60 days in Illinois. Not having a local state license is an additional offense in the event of a traffic violation. Some wealthy people set up an official address at a low rent location in a

bench warrants
also use an old address to evade authorities.

References

  1. ^ "Error Page". financenewsonline.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2007-07-03. Retrieved 2014-12-12.
  2. ^ "Economic slowdown fuels fraud - Business Credit News UK". creditman.biz. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2014-12-12.
  3. ^ "CIFAS - Welcome to Cifas". cifas.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2014-02-23. Retrieved 2014-12-12.
  4. ISBN 9781881798811
    . Retrieved 2014-12-12.
  5. ^ "Keep your vital data secret - Telegraph". telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2012-11-12. Retrieved 2014-12-12.
  6. ^ "Login". timesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-12-12.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ "BBC NEWS | Education | Fraud and the school places form". news.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2014-12-15. Retrieved 2014-12-12.
  8. ^ "Youngstown schools target address fraud". vindy.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-22. Retrieved 2014-12-12.
  9. ^ "Election board wants investigation of alleged address fraud". media.www.chicagoflame.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 2014-12-12.
  10. ^ "Ann Coulter Voting Fraud Case Likely Will Be Turned Over to Prosecutors, Florida Elections Chief Says | Fox News". foxnews.com. Archived from the original on 2009-02-12. Retrieved 2014-12-12.
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