The law enforcement arm of the USPS is warning people of fake stamps for sale on marketplaces, social media, and other sites. In addition to cracking down, the Postal Inspection Service is running a public relations campaign to get the word out to consumers.
The Postal Inspection Service said fraudsters are also reselling stolen goods at a deep discount and then shipping them using counterfeit postage. The various schemes are costing USPS millions of dollars in lost revenue. To fight the problem, the Postal Inspection Service is taking actions including the following:
- Postal inspectors are working with online shopping platforms to identify sellers of counterfeit postage and seizing website domains related to the sale of counterfeit stamps.
- Inspectors are reviewing shipments on USPS docks and intercepting packages with counterfeit labels affixed.
Since October 2024, inspectors have seized $16.2 million of counterfeit stamps, and they’ve issued 358 voluntary discontinuance orders to individuals and businesses who have used counterfeit postage.
The new campaign will also advise consumers to avoid work-from-home scams that traffic in counterfeit postage. The jobs involve reshipping packages, but the merchandise being shipped is typically purchased with stolen credit cards. The person who is hired then reships the packages using counterfeit shipping labels.
Information on how to avoid such scams are found in the Link newsletter for USPS employees on the USPS website. To report counterfeit postage, email or call the Inspection Service’s tip line at 877-876-2455.