My experience with renting a private mailbox in USA using fake ID (spoiler: not good)

Hi all. I posted a while back asking for advice on whether to rent a private mailbox using a fake ID. Just an update in case anyone else is considering this. I ended up doing it, and it worked great for a month or two. I successfully received a large international order and placed another.

Well, fast forward a little over a month, and I go in for my weekly-ish check to see if the pack landed. One of the shopkeepers sees me and says he's glad I showed up because they'd been contacted by the USPS asking for proof that I actually live in the city where the shop is located. (My fake ID was out-of-state.) He tells me he needs a copy of a lease or a utility bill or a bank statement or something showing a local address, because currently the USPS has no way of knowing that I'm not still living back in my "home state" and just renting a box here even though I don't live here. The guy was clearly irritated and suspicious and got pretty aggressive about asking me to produce something right then and there.

Luckily my pack was in the box, so I just made some excuses and left and never came back. I'm not sure what to make of that situation. I don't see how it would even be a problem to live out of state and rent a local box. Isn't that exactly the sort of situation private mailboxes are for? So I'm pretty sure someone was making that up in order to get more information from me, or pressure me somehow, but I have no idea why, or whether it was the shop or someone at the USPS or what. Needless to say it was pretty alarming and I'm not going to be trying that again.


Comments


[13 Points] GenericName121:

Well that's good that they put it in the box anyways. The PO I use, you go in and to the left are the boxes and to the right is a door that goes to the customer service area. That way they can lock those and you can still get to the po box. Seems weird that they would see you come in but I guess it might be right by the door. Anyways I'm surprised they knew who you were? I would think they deal with too many people to remember.


[7 Points] AjaxLabs:

It's not illegal to rent an out-of-state PO box. There are plenty of places that will forward all your PO box mail to any address you wish, although you have to have a notarized statement validating your actual current mailing address. Your situation is slightly different because you are renting one where you live with an out-of-state ID. Waitng for others to chime in.


[5 Points] tat_tvam_ascii:

Since the patriot act they require 2 forms of ID (2nd one = "a secondary" like your lease agreement, car insurance that shows "real" address, etc).

I would venture a guess that customs looked into your pack and tried to figure out who you were, but the only thing your PMB store had on file was the primary ID, which was out of state, so they couldn't look you up further by address - maybe they made it clear to PMB man that he needs 2 forms of ID and he was worried that he needed to come into compliance and that he wasn't going to get it from you?


[5 Points] dddthrowaway12:

I've done them with out of state ids no problem.

sent you a pm.


[2 Points] None:

[deleted]


[2 Points] None:

this has nothing to do with a fake id. they are required to request such documentation when you open a box. you could fake such documentation easier than a fake id. however, i nevr figured they gave this info to the po at all....


[2 Points] trynakick:

I think you're overthinking this. I think all that happened was USPS sent them a notice, which they probably do regularly saying, "in order to be in compliance and continuing running your business, you need to have this info from all of your customers. Currently this customer doesn't have info so you are not in compliance."

He got aggressive because it is his business on the line if they are not in compliance.


[1 Points] LostSomewhereInSpace:

All you have to do is look up a generic lease agreement online, fill out with some information from some random apartment complex in the area, and have you (where the leasee would sign) and a friend sign (where the lessor would sign) sign where needed.


[1 Points] None:

i know some people don't believe me but they are super big on anything that can be remotely terrorist related. money laundering, fake names, travelling under fake names, etc. All of these are huge red flags


[1 Points] maoiemaoie:

You are one lucky son of a gun


[1 Points] CoinCloud25:

I guess it depends on what your ordering... But as you can be charged for a full on felony in some states for producing a fake I just wouldn't bother. Most vendor stealth is great. I tend to order domestic and I bet they could label the pack in great big red sharpie and no one would say boo.


[1 Points] NIKOD95:

Why are you using a Fake ID? Don't most people just recommend using your real name?


[1 Points] footlockervip:

It has nothing to do with usps and everything to do with you, what you look like, how you acted, the quality of your id, the information used in the id, and the type of packages you were receiving. Dude knew what was up, simple as that.

You can get a po box in another state or city... theres no law against that and its not frowned upon.

He probably simple googled your name and nothing came up on the web or social media etc..


[1 Points] CookyDough:

When you submit a PS 1583 for a PMB, that form and a copy of your ID's goes to the local Postmaster. The person who runs your local regional post office's operations.

Perhaps the postmasters have started looking into ID's submitted by Commercial Mail Receiving Agencies (like UPS Store).

Or maybe LE just profiled your packs, realized what was in them, and watched you pick them up (this has happened many times before to people!) and asked the desk clerk (beforehand) to try to get more info on you since they don't know who you are.

Was your box at a UPS Store or some other big chain? It's also possible your CMRA started checking on the ID's they get. New corporate policy. That kind of thing. They could be hooked into a private database of personal info on Americans and couldn't find a match for the info on your ID so they asked you for more info. UPS Store sucks in general. Avoid them.

That's all I could think of.

Never mind all that. See this: https://www.reddit.com/r/DarkNetMarkets/comments/4ci9mp/my_experience_with_renting_a_private_mailbox_in/d1ixedg


[1 Points] you-are-a-cop:

PSA: Wear gloves of some sort when you touch the box while collecting packages. Figure out a way to keep from leaving latents on the paperwork as you fill it out for the box.

PSA to LE: Start pulling prints off boxes/paperwork of suspected drop addresses where packages are suspected and the ID turns out to be fraudulent. But you're doing this already, right?

Or are you assholes still too busy posting fake tweets about Ebola infected meth? Then locking up people that need a DOCTOR AND TREATMENT...not jail cells and criminal networking.


[1 Points] buddders:

I bet you shat yourself. I would too... Anyway it could be a lot worse, get the fuck out of there


[1 Points] plasticGallery:

I am involved in an ID business. I've heard many stories like these and the best thing you can do is keep your fingers crossed and never show your face there again. In state licenses are better for that sort of thing, as long as it's a good one. Most people who work for a post office can't spot a good fake. If good fakes fool bouncers, who are actively looking for fakes and have extensive training, some minimum wage worker at a private post office (NOT USPS) won't know much. That's what I've found in my experiences.

One more tip- general delivery at a UPS or FedEx store is much better than renting a box. Then they won't have a scan of the fake, and it'll be a one time use thing. You'll be a ghost. Avoid the cameras and don't do anything stupid. If you get caught in the act there's not a ton of plausible deniability. Best of luck!


[1 Points] itsbooming:

I see the "address was real" but was it real in the sense that the name and address of your fake was legit and matched postal records?


[1 Points] tokensue:

Maybe he saw you had an international package and figured it was dodgy as fuck. So decided to scare you off using his premises by asking for more details about you. It worked though right? No more dodgy packs arriving for you to his premises