U.S. Postal Inspection Service Guide tonalcbayarea.com/USPS Publications/pub300a.pdfU.S. Postal Inspection Service Guide to Preventing Mail Fraud Publication 300-A June 2007 United

U.S. Postal Inspection Service Guide to Preventing Mail FraudPublication 300-AJune 2007

United StateS PoStal inSPection Service

WaShington dc 20260-2169

addreSS Service reqUeSted

To learn more about mail fraud or to report suspected fraud, visit the U.S. Postal Inspection Web site at usps.com/postalinspectors.

United States Postal inspection ServicePSn 7610-04-000-6949

FIrST-ClaSS MaIl PoSTage & FeeS PaId

USPS PerMIT No. g-10

Guide to Preventing Mail Fraud1. Purpose. In accordance with its mission to prevent the use of the mail to defraud customers or convey dangerous

mailings, as expressed in the Postal Service’s Transformation Plan, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service has prepared this booklet to help consumers and businesses identify different types of mail fraud. every year, thousands of people and businesses are victimized by mail fraud schemes. Protecting U.S. Mail and the mail system is the responsibility of the Postal Inspection Service. as a law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service, the Postal Inspection Service is a highly specialized, professional organization performing criminal investigations, security, and crime prevention functions. Postal Inspectors investigate violations of federal mail fraud laws and other mail-related crime. To learn more about mail fraud or to report suspected fraud, visit the U.S. Postal Inspection Web site at www.usps.com/postalinspectors.

2 Requisition. To obtain a copy of this booklet, call the Topeka Material distribution Center at 1-800-332-0317.

3. Questions and Comments. Check the back of the booklet for Postal Inspection Service locations and contact numbers. If you would like to make suggestions or comments about this booklet, please send them to:

INSPeCTor IN Charge MaIl FraUd aNd aSSeT ForFeITUre US PoSTal INSPeCTIoN ServICe 475 l’eNFaNT Plaza SW rM 3411 WaShINgToN dC 20260-2169

4. Effective Date. This publication is effective upon receipt.

alexander lazaroff Chief Postal Inspector

Contents 2 WhatIsMailFraud?

3 Sweepstakesand‘Free’Prizes

4 ‘Free’Vacations

5 GovernmentLook-AlikeMail

6 SolicitationsDisguisedasInvoices

7 ForeignLotteries

8 ChainLetters

9 CharityFraud

10 InsuranceFraud

11 MedicalFraud

12 InternetFraud

13 PhonyInheritanceSchemes

14 HomeImprovementandHomeRepairFraud

15 InvestmentFraud

16 FeesChargedforNormallyFreeServices

17 Advance-FeeLoans

18 CreditRepairandCreditCardSchemes

19 Work-at-HomeOffers

20 DistributorshipandFranchiseFraud

21 PhonyJobOpportunities

22 UnsolicitedMerchandise

23 ReshippingFraud

24 HowtoContactthePostalInspectionService

Guide To Preventing Mail Fraud �

It’saschemetogetmoneyorsomething

ofvaluefromyoubyofferingaproduct,

service,orinvestmentopportunitythatdoesnotliveuptoitsclaims.

Prosecutorsmustprovetheclaimswereintentionallymisrepresented

andthatthemailwasusedtocarryoutthescheme.

Althoughmostmail-ordercompaniesarehonestandstand

behindtheirproductsandservices,unfortunatelythereareafewrotten

appleswhogivedirectmailadvertisersabadname.Theycheatpeople

bypeddlingworthlessproducts,medicalquackery,andget-rich-quick

schemes.Somefly-by-nightstakeyourmoneyandsendyounothing.

Unscrupulousbusinessesdon’tmindtakingadvantageofan

unwarycustomer.“Letthebuyerbeware”istheirmotto—andyou

mightbethebuyer.

Mailfraudstersfrequentlyrelyonthesameoldtricks.You

mayevenbefamiliarwithsomeofthem.Thefollowingpagesinclude

someofthemorecommonmailfraudschemesandrelatedconsumer

problems.Watchoutforthem!

What is Mail Fraud?What is Mail Fraud?

� U.S. Postal Inspection Service

Sweepstakes and ‘Free’ Prizes

Business Tip: Advertising specialty products

like pens, key tags, baseball caps, and ice

scrapers, to name a few, have helped many

companies gain recognition. However,

illegal “boiler room” operations also use

these products to ensnare owners and

employees of small companies in a fraud

scheme.

The scheme begins with a notification

that you’ve won a big prize in a

sweepstakes promotion. But there’s a

catch — you are told that you must

purchase a certain quantity of items with

your company name and logo to avoid a

“gift tax.” The purchase, which can amount

to several thousand dollars, may result in

inferior merchandise or nothing at all.

Ithappenseveryday.

Thousandsofpeopleare

notifiedbymailthattheyhavewonafreeprize.Usually,it’s

apostcardthatsaysyourprizewillbeoneoffourorfive

“valuable”items—likeanewcar,acolortelevision,ora

$1,000savingsbond.

Typically,conartistswhosesolepurposeistorip

youoffmailthesenotices.Whenyoucontactthecompany

byphonetoclaimyourprize,thescamartistwilltellyouthat

youarerequiredtopaya“processing”or

“insurance”feeandpressureyoutogive

outyourcreditcardnumber.Don’tdoit!

Theconartistmaymakethousandsof

dollarsinunauthorizedchargestoyour

account.Ifyourefusetogiveoutyourcredit

cardnumber,bewareoftheconartist’s

otherscam—convincingyoutocoverthe

processingorinsurancefeebysendinga

checkforhundredsofdollarsbyovernight

courier,orbywiringthefeetoapersonor

businessinCanada,CostaRica,oranother

foreignlocation.

Eitherway,youcanbecertain

thatyourprizewillcostyoumorethanit’s

worth—oritmayneverarriveatall.

�Guide To Preventing Mail Fraud

‘Free’ Vacations “Congratulations!Youhave

wonafreevacationfortwoin

beautiful,sun-drenchedBermuda.”Soundtoogoodtobe

true?Itprobablyis.

There’salwaysacatch.Inthemostcommonformof

thisscam,tobeeligibleforthefreevacationyouwilleitherbe

requiredtopayaservicechargeortopurchaseamembership

inatravelclub.Don’tpayit.Anddonot,underany

circumstances,givethecompanyyourcreditcardnumberor

evenitsexpirationdate.Ifyoudo,here’swhatyoucanexpect:

Therewillbemanyrestrictionsonwhenyoucantakeyour

trip.

Youmayberequiredtopayanadditionalhandlingchargeto

bookyourreservation.

Thetraveldatesyoupreferwillverylikely

beunavailable.

Ifyoucomplain,youmaybeofferedanupgradedplanfor

stillanotheradditionalfee.

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U.S. Postal Inspection Service�

Thatbrownenvelopeinyourmailboxlookedso

officialyouthoughtitwasfromagovernment

agency.Eventhename,returnaddress,andseallookedofficial.Such

mailingscanbedeceptiveandconfusing,andaresometimesillegal.They

typicallycontainsweepstakessolicitationsorrequestsfordonationsto

politicalcauses.Suchmailingsarenolongerallowedunless:

Theentityactuallyhasagovernmentconnection,approval,

orendorsement.

Themailanditsenvelopebearanoticethatdisclaimssuchconnection,

approval,orendorsementbyagovernmentagency.

Thematerialiscontainedinapublicationpurchasedorrequestedbythe

addressee.

Carefullyreadthematerialinsidetheenvelopetodetermineifitreally

isfromagovernmentagency.

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Government Look-Alike Mail

�Guide To Preventing Mail Fraud �

Solicitations Disguised As Invoices

Don’tbevictimizedbyconartistswhotry

togetyoutoordergoodsorservicesby

mailingsolicitationsthatlooklikeinvoices.The

unscrupulousindividualswhomailtheseknowthatsomeunsuspecting

individualswillbefooledbytheirappearanceandwillautomaticallypay,

thinkingtheymayhaveplacedanorderbutforgotaboutit.

Somesolicitationsdisguisetheirtruenature.Othersidentify

themselvesassolicitations,butonlyinthefineprint.Ineithercase,withhold

paymentuntilyouhaveverifiedwhetheryouactuallyorderedandreceivedthe

goodsorservicesreflected

onthedocument.Ifnot,

donotpay.Youmayhave

receivedasolicitationinthe

guiseofaninvoice.

Business Tip: Watch out for “Yellow Pages”

advertising invoices designed to look like

they’re from your local telephone directory

publisher. You can almost always be

assured that these bills are bogus. Charges

for genuine Yellow Pages advertising will

appear on your local telephone bill.

�� U.S. Postal Inspection Service

Foreign Lotteries Youhearthestatelottojingle

ontheradio.Thejackpothas

beenraisedto$10million.You’vegotlottofever!Nextthing

youknowthere’sabrochureinyourmailboxurgingyouto

participateinsomeforeigncountry’slottery—maybeonein

AustraliaorCanada—viatheconvenientmail-orderpurchase

oflotterytickets,orofashareinapooloflotterytickets.

We’vegotahottipforyou:Don’tfallforit!Here’s

why:

It’sillegal.Afederalstatuteprohibitsmailingpaymentsto

purchaseanyticket,share,orchanceinaforeignlottery.

Exceptforstate-ownedand-operatedlotteries,federallaw

prohibitssendinglotterymaterialthroughthemail.

It’sprobablyascam.Most—ifnotall—foreignlottery

come-onssenttoU.S.addressesthroughthemailare

bogus.Theydon’tcomefromforeigngovernmentagencies

orlicensees.Instead,theycomefromconartistswhotake

yourmoneyandgiveyounothinginreturn.

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Chain LettersHaveyoueverreceivedachain

letterore-mailmessageguaranteeingyou’ll“earnbig$$$$”

withonesmallinvestment?Allyouhavetodoissend$10to

everyoneonthelist,placeyournameatthebottomofthe

list,andmailitto10friends.Thenjustsitbackandwatchthe

checksfillyourmailbox.

Don’twasteyourmoney.Chainlettersdon’twork.

What’smore,ifyoumailchainletters,youcouldbecommitting

afederalcrime.Thesamelawthatprohibitslotteriesappliesto

chainlettersaswell.

Lookatthechart.Youcanseethat

moreparticipantsarerequiredthanthereare

peopleintheentireworld!Thefirstinvestor

inthechainmayreceivesomemoney,but

laterparticipantsrarelygeteventheiroriginal

investmentsback.

No. of Mailings No. of Participants

1 6

2 36

3 216

4 1,296

5 7,776

6 46,656

7 279,936

8 1,679,616

9 10,077,696

10 60,466,176

11 362,797,056

12 2,176,782,336

13 13,060,694,016

U.S. Population: Over300Million

World Population:MoreThan6Billion

� U.S. Postal Inspection Service

Charity FraudMostmailsolicitationsfor

charitablecontributionsarelegitimateappealsforagood

cause.Somearephony.Charityfrauddoesalotofharm.

Theswindlertakesadvantageofpeople’sgoodwilland

takestheircash—moneymeantforpeopleinneed.

Givetocharitiesyouknow.Checkouttheonesyou

haveneverheardof,orwhosenamesaresimilartowell-

knowncharities.Also:

Besuspiciousofcharitiesthatacceptonlycash.

Alwaysmakeoutyourcheckormoneyordertothe

organizationtowhichyouwanttodonatemoney,notto

anindividual.

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Insurance FraudSlickoperatorswhorun

insurancepolicyschemeswilltrytosellyouanythingin

theinsuranceline,regardlessofyourexistingcoverageor

need.Thepremiumsfarexceedthosechargedbyreputable

insurancefirms.Watchforthesescam-relatedtricks:

Arequestforcashpayments.

Arequestforlump-sumpaymentsasfarasayearin

advance.

Anofferoflast-chanceinsurancebargains.

Arequestthatyousignablankinsuranceform.

Whenpurchasinginsurance,besureto

readallthefineprintondocumentsandpurchaseonly

theinsurancecoverageyouneed.Discusstheofferwithan

attorneyoraknowledgeablefriendorrelativebeforesigning

anydocument.

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�0 U.S. Postal Inspection Service

Medical FraudForyears

medicalquackshavesoldpowders,pills,lotions,

andothergimmicksthroughthemailtopeopleseekingcures

forbaldness,obesity,orsexualdysfunction.Tremendousmedical

advanceshavemadethesuccessfultreatmentofsuchconditionsareality.Despite

legitimatemedicalbreakthroughs,snake-oilmerchantscontinuetopeddleworthless

potions,offering“miracles”like:

Instantcureforarthritis!

Loseweightovernight!

Lookyearsyounger!

Thegadgetsandgimmicksadvertisedarenottestedbycompetentmedical

authorities,andsomearedownrightdangerous,so:

Don’ttrustyourhealthtoasalesperson.

Don’tbelieveclaimsofasecretcureormiracledrug.(Suchadvancesmakebig

newsworldwide.)

Besuspiciousofclaimsofexcessiveweightloss.

Don’tbelieveexaggeratedclaimsofregainedyouthortheperfectfigure.

Protectyourhealthandyourpocketbook.Beforepurchasinganycure-alls,

consultyourfamilyphysician.

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Guide To Preventing Mail Fraud ��

Internet FraudTheInternetisteemingwithfraudulentschemes,

andswindlersfinditeasytoexploitinnocentvictimsonline.Fraudonthe

Internetresultsinmailfraudwhen“cyberscammers”receivepaymentsand

shipitemsviatheU.S.Mail.

Forexample,winnersofonlineauctionsmayneverreceivethe

advertiseditem:Afterdishonestsellersreceivepayment,theyfailtoship

theitem.OnlinecrooksusetheanonymityofferedbytheInternetanda

rentedaddressatacommercialmailreceivingagencytohidetheiridentities.

Ingeneral,itcanbedifficulttoknowwithwhomyouaredealingwhen

conductingbusinessonline.

Cyberscammersmayalsobidontheirownauctionitems,under

anotheruserID,toraisebidamounts.Ortheymaycontactbiddersfroman

auctiontoinformthemthatthewinnerfailedtomakepaymentandtheitem

isstillavailable.Again,despiteamailed-inpayment,nomerchandiseissent.

Theadvantagetoconartistsusingthistacticisthattheonlineauctionsiteis

notinvolvedandthevictimisunabletoseekhelpwiththeproblem.


Phony Inheritance Schemes Wouldn’titbeniceifyou

unexpectedlycameintoan

inheritancefromalong-lost

relativeorfriend?Itrarelyhappens.Ifyoureceiveanotification

inthemailfroman“estatelocator”sayingthatthereisan

unclaimedinheritancewaitingforyou,beware!Youcouldbe

thetargetofaslickconartist.

Theseunscrupulouswhite-collarcriminalsalsocall

themselves“researchspecialists”—buttheydidn’tfindyou

bydoingresearch.Youareoneofthousandsacrossthe

nationwhoaretargetedinmassmailings.Manyofthese

recipientsareluredintomailingafee—sometimes$30

ormore—foran“estatereport.”Alltheindividualsonthe

mailinglistreceivethesameinformation,sochancesare

almostzerothatyouaretheheir.

Youcanprotectyourselfbycheckingothersources

beforesendingfundsinresponsetoanestate-locator

solicitation.Thosewhohavebeennamedtodistributeestate

fundstorightfulheirsnormallydonotrequestyoutopayafee

tofindoutaboutyourshareoftheestate.

Guide To Preventing Mail Fraud �3

Home Improvement and Home Repair Fraud

Becausehomerepairsand

improvementsareexpensive,

conartistsandthieveshave

enteredtheindustrytoripyou

off.Becarefulifsomeonemailsyouabrochureofferingtodo

anexpensivejobforanunusuallylowprice.Onceyousign

thecontract,youwilllearnwhythepriceissolow:Thefirm

neverdeliverstheserviceyoupaidforinadvance.

Freeinspectionsbyconartiststurnup

plentyofexpensiverepairsyoudon’tneed.Someshady

operatorsoffertodotheworkonthespot.However,when

theyleave,youmaybeleftwithalargebillandafaultyrepair

job.Herearesomeprecautionsyoucantaketomakean

informeddecision:

Alwaysgetseveralestimatesforeveryrepairjob.

Verifythecompany’snameandaddress.

Askforreferencesandcheckthemout.

ContactyourlocalBetterBusinessBureautocheckthe

company’sreputationbeforeyouauthorizeworkorpay

anymoney.

Makesureyouunderstandthedetailsofacontractbefore

yousign.

Inspectthefinishedproductbeforeyoupay,andneverpay

incash.

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Investment Fraud Whetherthey’resellingbogussecurities,

commodities,oroilwells,fraudulentinvestment

promoterstrytogetyoutoinvestmoney—lotsofit.Theywillpromiseyou

eitheralargeincreaseinthevalueofyourinvestment,

higher-than-marketinterestonyourcapital,orboth.

Investmentschemersmarketbymailandbytelephone,armed

withhigh-pressureandsophisticatedsellingtechniques.Someswindlers

surroundthemselveswiththetrappingsoflegitimacy—rentedofficespace,

areceptionist,investmentcounselors,andprofessionallydesignedcolor

brochuresdescribingtheinvestment.

Youmaybedealingwithaninvestmentswindlerifyoucananswer

“yes”tothefollowing:

Doesthesalespersonmakeitsoundasifyoucan’tlose?

Areyoupromisedanunusuallyhighrateofreturnorinterestpaymenton

yourcapital?

Areyoupressuredtomakeadecisionbecausenewinvestmentunits“are

sellingfast”?

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Fees Charged For Normally Free Services

Manyservicesareavailablefree

ofchargefromthegovernment

orotherorganizations.Arecent

come-oninvolvesofferingsuchservicesforafeeinthehope

thatyouareunawaretheservicesareavailableatnocost

elsewhere.Bewareofmailsolicitationsthattrytogetyouto

payafeeforsuchservicesas:

Childsupportcollectionassistance.

Unclaimedincometaxrefunds.

Propertytaxexemptions.

Contactthefederal,state,andlocalagencies

responsiblefortheseservices,andchancesareyou’llgetthe

informationandassistanceyouneedfreeofcharge.

Asimilarschemepreysonthosewhoselovedones

aremissing.Ifyouhavemissingrelativesorfriends,be

cautiousaboutpeoplewhocontactyoutoofferinformationon

thewhereaboutsofyourlovedonesforafee.Ifyoureceive

suchasolicitation,contactlawenforcementauthorities.

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Advance-Fee Loans Haveyouhaddifficultyobtaining

apersonalorbusinessloan

throughnormalsources?Ifso,youmaybecomethetargetof

anadvance-feeloanscheme,whereaconartistoffersyoua

“guaranteed”loanforafeepaidinadvance.

Theswindlerclaimstobeabletoobtainaloanfor

youwitheasefromalegitimatelendinginstitution,suchasa

savingsandloanassociation.However,theswindlerhasno

abilitytosecurealoanforyou.Instead,theswindlersteals

yourfeeandeitherdisappearsorremainsintheareatobilk

otherunsuspectingvictimswhilestallingyouwithexcuses

astowhyyourloanhasnotbeenfunded.Protectyourself!

Knowyou’rewithalegitimatelendinginstitutionbefore

enteringintoanegotiationforanyloan,and

becertainyouunderstandthetermsbefore

yousignonthedottedline. Business Tip: You may get a letter from a

“government official” who offers your

company a percentage for its help in

secretly transferring millions of dollars from

a foreign country. To participate in the

lucrative scheme, all you have to do is

provide your company’s letterhead,

invoices, and bank account number.

Executives who have fallen for this pitch —

which is a complete fabrication — have told

horror stories of their losses.


Credit Repair and Credit Card Schemes

Haveyoubeendeniedamajorcreditcarddue

toapoorcreditrating?Watchoutforphony

creditrepairorcreditcardoffers.Someoffers

willendupcostingyoulotsofmoney,andyouwon’tgetwhatyouthinkis

beingoffered.

Scamartistsmayofferyoucreditrepairservices.Afterpayingalarge

fee,allyoureceiveisalistofbanksthatofferasecuredVisaorMasterCard.

“Secured”cardsareissuedafteryoudepositenoughmoneytocoverany

chargesyoumakeandareofferedbymanybanks.Saveyourmoneyand

lookupthesebanksinyourlocalYellowPages.

Scamartistsmayalsooffera“majorcreditcard”forafee.Butwhen

yourcardarrives,itcanonlybeusedwithaspecificstoreorcatalogthatalso

happenstobeownedbythecompanythatissuedyourcreditcard.“Single-

usecreditcards”arenotanewconcept,butscamartistsmisrepresent

themasbeingall-purposebankcreditcards.Itcangetworsewhenthe

merchandiseinthecatalogfromwhichyoumustchooseyourpurchasesis

eitherinferiororgrosslyoverpriced.

Ifyouhavepoorcredit,becarefulwhenrespondingtoanofferfor

credit.Ifyouarenotsatisfiedwiththeinformationprovidedintheoffer,donot

payanyfeesupfront.Otherwise,youmaybecomeavictim.


Work-at-Home Offers Conartistsknowthatworkingat

homeisanattractivealternative

formany.That’swhytheyplacesuchads.Maybeyou’ve

evenrespondedtoone.Thousandsofpeoplehavehelped

unscrupulouspromoterspocketvictims’hard-earneddollars.

Beware!Work-at-homeschemeswillnotguarantee

regularsalariedemployment.Theywillrequireyoutoinvest

yourmoneybeforeyoulearnhowaplanworksorbeforeyou

aresentinstructions.Theworkyouareaskedtodooften

continuesthefraudbygettingothervictimsinvolved.

Themostcommontypeofwork-at-homefraudis

envelopestuffing.Typically,thereisnothingtostuff.Instead,

youreceiveinstructionsonhowtodeceiveothersbyplacing

anadliketheoneyourespondedto!Otherschemesrequire

youtoassemblegiftandspecialtyproductsforwhichthereis

littleornomarket.

Alwayssuspectanyadfromthemailorviathe

Internetclaimingyoucanearnunusuallyhighincomewithlittle

ornoeffortonyourpart.


Distributorship and Franchise Fraud

Distributorshipsandfranchises

canbelegitimateandoften

profitableformsofbusiness

enterprises.Fastfoodandquick-printingfranchisesare

examplesofopportunitiesofferedbynationalorganizationsto

individualswillingtoinvestasubstantialamountofmoneyfor

therighttooperatesuchbusinesses.

Unfortunately,therearesomedeviouspromoterswho

usethecoveroflegitimatebusinessestoadvertisefraudulent

opportunities.Theytaketheirinvestors’moneyandquietlygo

outofbusiness.

Watchforthesewarningsigns:

Promisesofunrealisticprofits.

Promoterswhoseemmoreinterestedinsellingtheir

distributorshiporfranchisethantheyareintheproductor

servicebeingoffered.

Promoterswhoarereluctanttoletyoucontact

currentfranchisees.

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�0 U.S. Postal Inspection Service

Phony Job Opportunities Bewareofadvertisementsthatmake

unbelievableclaimsaboutjobopportunities.The

adsmisrepresentwagesandthenumberofjobsactuallyavailable,andyou

mustalwayspayafeetoreceivemoreinformation.Youshouldbewareofjob

opportunitypitchesthat:

Guaranteeplacementinajob.

Claimnoexperienceorspecialskillsareneededtoqualify.

Offertoo-good-to-be-truewages.

Offeroverseasemployment.

EspeciallybewaryofadsthatpromisetogetyouajobwiththeU.S.Postal

Service.Inreturnforyourmoney,youmayonlygetgenericinformationthat

isavailablefreefromthePostalServiceandfromsomepubliclibraries.Save

yourmoneyandcontactyournearestPostalServiceemploymentoffice,

orthePostalServiceWebsiteatusps.com,todetermineifpostaljobsare

availableinyourareaandtoobtainthenecessaryapplicationforms.

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Unsolicited Merchandise Acompanysendsyouagiftinthemail—atie,

agoodluckcharm,orakeychain.Youdidn’t

orderthegift.Whatdoyoudo?Manypeoplewillfeelguiltyandpayforthe

gift.Butyoudon’thaveto.Whatyoudowiththemerchandiseisentirelyup

toyou.

Ifyouhavenotopenedthepackage,markit“ReturntoSender.”The

PostalServicewillsenditbackatnochargetoyou.

Ifyouopenthepackageanddon’tlikewhatyoufind,throwitaway.

Ifyouopenthepackageandlikewhatyoufind,keepit—free.Thisisa

rareinstancewhere“finders,keepers”appliesunconditionally.

Whateveryoudo,don’tpayforit—anddon’tgetconnedifthe

senderfollowsupwithaphonecallorvisit.Bylaw,unsolicitedmerchandise

isyourstokeep.

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Reshipping FraudArelativelynewschemetargeting

businessesandcreditcardownersis“reshippingfraud.”

CriminalsoperatingprimarilyfromEasternEuropeancountries

andNigeriahavebeenconductingwidespread,international

schemesinvolvingbogusjoboffers,fraudulentcreditcard

orders,andthereshippingofillegallyobtainedproducts.

Thescambeginswhencriminalsbuyhigh-dollar

merchandise—suchascomputers,cameras,andother

electronics—viatheInternetusingstolencreditcards.

Theyhavethemerchandiseshippedtoaddressesinthe

UnitedStatesofpaid“reshippers”(whomaybeunaware

theyarehandlingstolengoods).Thereshippersrepackage

themerchandiseandmailittolocationsinRussia,Ukraine,

Estonia,Lithuania,Romania,andGermany.Victimized

businessesincludesuchwell-knowncompaniesasAmazon,

Gateway,andeBay,andotherInternetauctionsites.

U.S.PostalInspectorsofferthesetips:

Don’tgiveoutpersonalinformationtoapersonorcompany

youdon’tknow.

Besuspiciousofanyofferthatdoesn’tpayaregularsalary

orinvolvesworkingforanoverseascompany.

CheckthecompanywiththeFTC,BetterBusinessBureau,

orstateAttorneyGeneral.

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Guide To Preventing Mail Fraud �3

AtlAntA DivisionPo Box 16489AtlAntA GA 30321-0489

Boston Division495 suMMer st ste 600Boston MA 02210-2114

ChArlotte DivisionPo Box 3000ChArlotte nC 28228-3000

ChiCAGo Division433 W hArrison st rM 50190ChiCAGo il 60669-2201

Denver Division1745 stout st ste 900Denver Co 80299-3034

Detroit DivisionPo Box 330119Detroit Mi 48232-6119

Ft Worth Division14800 trinity BlvD suite 600Ft Worth tx 76155-2675

houston Division650 n sAM houston PkWy West houston tx 77067-4336

los AnGeles DivisionPo Box 2000PAsADenA CA 91102-2000

MiAMi Division3400 lAkesiDe Dr 6th FlMirAMAr Fl 33027-3242

neWArk DivisionPo Box 509neWArk nJ 07101-0509

neW york DivisionPo Box 555neW york ny 10116-0555

PhilADelPhiA DivisionPo Box 7500PhilADelPhiA PA 19101-9000

PittsBurGh Division1001 CAliForniA AvePittsBurGh PA 15290-9000

st. louis Division1106 WAlnut stst louis Mo 63199-2201

sAn FrAnCisCo DivisionPo Box 882528sAn FrAnCisCo CA 94188-2528

seAttle DivisionPo Box 400seAttle WA 98111-4000

WAshinGton Division10500 little PAtuxent PkWy 2nD FlColuMBiA MD 21044-3509


For assistance with postal-related problems

of a law enforcement nature, please contact

the nearest Postal Inspection Service Division

toll-free at 1-877-876-2455 or at the locations

shown below.

how to Contact the Postal inspection service

how to Contact the Postal inspection service

U.S. Postal Inspection Service Guide to Preventing Mail FraudPublication 300-AJune 2007

United StateS PoStal inSPection Service

WaShington dc 20260-2169

addreSS Service reqUeSted

To learn more about mail fraud or to report suspected fraud, visit the U.S. Postal Inspection Web site at usps.com/postalinspectors.

United States Postal inspection ServicePSn 7610-04-000-6949

FIrST-ClaSS MaIl PoSTage & FeeS PaId

USPS PerMIT No. g-10

Documents

U.S. Postal Inspection Service Guide tonalcbayarea.com/USPS Publications/pub300a.pdfU.S. Postal Inspection Service Guide to Preventing Mail Fraud Publication 300-A June 2007 United