Is Rapid Address Change a Scam?

If you’re thinking of using Rapid Address Change, you need to know whether it’s safe. Is Rapid Address Change a scam? 

Below, we explain whether Rapid Address Change is a scam and discuss some steps you can take to improve your safety when using this change of address site. 

What Is Rapid Address Change?

Rapid Address Change is a website that lets you change your address for a fee (currently $83).  

You can change your address either temporarily or permanently.

To change your address, you need to fill out an online form, which includes sharing your credit card information (and making a payment). 

Rapid Address Change is owned and operated by Cyclops Net Inc. 

It is not affiliated with any government agency, including the USPS. 

You can change your address at the post office or the official USPS site for free or nearly free. 

Is Rapid Address Change a Scam?

Rapid Address Change is described by consumers as misleading

While it claims to submit change-of-address requests on your behalf (multiple users allege that their address was never changed), it is not affiliated with the United States Postal Service (USPS). 

The USPS warns about change-of-address sites on its website.

User reviews of Rapid Address Change are negative as of this writing. 

For example, the service gets 2.5 out of 5.0 stars (from 5 reviews) on Trustpilot and 1.05 out of 5.0 stars (from over 75 reviews) on Better Business Bureau. 

On both review sites, the highest rating that Rapid Address Change has at the time of writing is 1.0 (out of 5.0), i.e., the lowest possible. 

People say they thought they were changing their address with USPS, only to be charged $68 – $83. This is in contrast to changing your address at the post office, which is free, or at the official USPS website, which costs $1.25 at the time of writing (an identity verification fee). 

Multiple users report that several weeks after filling out the form on the Rapid Address Change website and paying the fee, their address still hasn’t been updated. 

Individuals allege that contacting Rapid Address Change is very difficult and that they were unable to get a refund. 

On online forums like Reddit, people likewise report negative experiences with Rapid Address Change. 

The parent company of Rapid Address Change, Cyclops Net Inc, is not Better Business Bureau accredited and holds an “F” rating, as of this writing. BBB ratings are a reflection of how the BBB thinks a company interacts with its customers.

The company has received a total of 290 complaints on the BBB site in the last three years as of this writing, 36 of which have been closed in the past 12 months. 

Nearly every complaint reports that Rapid Address Change appears at the top of search results (usually through paid ads) when users look for USPS address change, mimics the USPS brand, and follows a similar process as the real USPS site. 

Individuals also allege that the pricing is hidden – the Rapid Address Change site says it needs credit card information to verify and file your address change (see screenshot below), then charges a hefty fee without any notice. 

Furthermore, people report that even after filling out the form and paying, their address change doesn’t appear to be filed, and customer support is allegedly unreachable. 

Rapid Address Change disclaimer

In the footer of its website, Rapid Address Change has a disclaimer saying it’s not affiliated with any government agency and charges you $83 for something you can do yourself for free or nearly free at your local post office or the official USPS website. 

The service also states that it can’t guarantee that the post office will process your address change, and that they’re not liable if that’s the case. 

Plus, once a change of address is submitted, there are no refunds. 

Rapid Address Change security 

In its privacy policy, Rapid Address Change briefly describes its security measures.

It says it uses “all reasonably expected procedures and practices” to protect your information. 

The company notes that it encrypts your credit card details with SSL and protects your personal data behind a firewall.

Plus, it states that it requires all third parties associated with it to “maintain levels of cyber security as laid out under federal and state legislation.” 

Rapid Address Change privacy

Rapid Address Change explains in its privacy policy the kind of information it collects, why, and with whom it shares it.

It states that it may collect the following data:

• Directly from website visits: Device type, browser, IP address, and cookies.
• From account registration: Name, email, addresses, phone numbers, payment details, and identity verification documents (like a utility bill or current driver’s license). 
• From third-party partner databases. 

The company says that it may also receive information about you from other clients.

Rapid Address Change uses your information to provide services, contact you about its promotions and offers, make its website content and ads tailored to your interests, verify your identity and eligibility, and build a user profile based on your browsing habits and submitted data.

By filling out the form on the Rapid Address Change website, you consent to being contacted (by Rapid Address Change and its third-party partners) by email, phone, SMS, mail, or fax, even if you are on state or national Do Not Call lists.

You also authorize the company to use, sell, or transfer your personal data to third parties for any legal purpose. 

Rapid Address Change also shares data with service providers like payment processors, email management companies, and call centers. Plus, it will share data with law enforcement when legally required.

The company says that it may store your credit card details for future transactions. It also states that it reserves the right to verify your identity through small refundable charges and to inform third parties that it holds your card details.

You have certain privacy rights. For example, you can contact the company and request that it remove you from promotional contact lists (the company will update records within 10 days and will make sure that once you’re opted out, it no longer shares your data with third parties unless legally required ). 

However, Rapid Address Change warns that it cannot guarantee that third parties it already shared your data with will also stop contacting you. If you continue to receive communications from these third parties, Rapid Address Change advises contacting them directly about opting out. 

California residents can request information about disclosures of their data to third parties for direct marketing purposes.

So, Should You Use Rapid Address Change?

We do not recommend using Rapid Address Change.

Instead, we advise that you change your address either by visiting your local post office in person or through the official USPS website.  

How to Use Rapid Address Change Safely and Privately 

We don’t recommend using Rapid Address Change or other change-of-address websites. 

If you’ve already filled out the form on Rapid Address Change and paid the fee, call your bank and see if you can request a chargeback for the transaction and go to the official USPS site to see if your address change was submitted or not (if not, you’ll need to do it again through the USPS site or at your local post office). 

And if you feel you were misled, you can also file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov to help authorities track deceptive marketing patterns.