A 65-year-old man’s mail was wrongfully sent to a San Antonio resident who used his personal information to buy a Mercedes-Benz and pay rent — how to avoid being a victim of identity theft

Holiday opened up 66 fraudulent accounts in the anonymous man’s name. He also used the senior’s name and information to buy a 2021 Mercedes-Benz, avoid a ticket after being pulled over and live rent-free in an apartment he was leasing.

Identity theft is prevalent across the U.S., but seniors are particularly vulnerable. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 2023 Elder Fraud Report found that people over 60 lost over $3.4 billion to scams last year — an 11% increase since 2022. That puts each individual victim at an average loss of $33,915 in 2023.

But it’s possible for people of all ages to better protect their personal information.

Forward your mail

Though mail errors happen, you can avoid having your mail go to the wrong address by proactively forwarding all of your mail — whether you’re moving permanently or relocating temporarily.

Any time you move, you can set up mail forwarding from your old address to your new one, according to the U.S. Postal Service. This means your mail will end up in your hands.

The forwarding process is also a helpful reminder of which government organizations, banks or companies have your address on file — and who you need to call to change your address. This will prevent new residents at your old address from being able to access your information.

Monitor your credit

Holiday opened up more than 60 fraudulent accounts under the senior’s name — most of which were classified as delinquent.

But those accounts would have come up on a credit report, potentially even before getting called by a debt collector. If you monitor yours on a regular basis, you can keep your eye out for possible fraudulent activity.