(NAPSI)—Easy money working from home! Sounds too good to be true? That’s because it probably is. Especially if you’re offered a job reshipping packages.
The Reshipping Scam
The United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) reports seeing a lot of people recruited on social media to work at home as “fulfillment specialists” or other professional-sounding job titles shipping common items. Once they sign up, they get fraudulent postage labels via email or text to mail the packages.
These scams often involve merchandise purchased with stolen credit cards and shipped using counterfeit postage. Think about it: What legitimate company is going to send you items in somebody else’s name and ask you to reship them? Why wouldn’t the company just do that themselves?
If the postage labels come via email or text message from a foreign country, there is a particularly good chance that they are counterfeit.
Don’t Get Stuck with Fake Stamps
Another scam to avoid is supposed “discount” postage stamps. A substantial discount of up to 50 percent off an order of United States Forever Stamps means they’re probably counterfeit. To ensure your trusted communication arrives at its destination without delay, the Postal Inspection Service wants you to be aware of—and avoid—phony postage.
The number of counterfeit stamps sold from online platforms has escalated. Scammers peddle fake stamps on social media marketplaces, e-commerce sites via third party vendors, and other websites. Counterfeit stamps are often sold in bulk quantities at a significant discount. That’s a telltale sign they’re fake.
Purchasing stamps from a third-party wholesaler or online websites can be unpredictable. You have no way to verify whether they are genuine.
What You Can Do
The best way to avoid counterfeit postage stamps is to buy stamps from USPS.com, at the Post Office, or at an Approved Postal Provider.
Approved vendors can include legitimate “big box” or warehouse retailers who do provide very small discounts on postage stamps, but this is through resale agreements with the Postal Service.
To ensure your postage labels are legitimate, always purchase postage labels through your own account, or through an Approved Postal Provider.
To report any suspicious texts or emails related to the U.S. Postal Service or specifically about package delivery failure:
•Forward the text or email to uspis.gov/report
•Delete the text or email
•Call USPIS: 1-877-876-2455
What The Postal Service Is Doing
USPS is fighting back against counterfeit postage. With new changes to the Domestic Mail Manual, items mailed with counterfeit postage will be considered abandoned and are subject to being opened and disposed of at the Postal Service’s discretion. Make sure your postage is legitimate and always purchase from USPS or an authorized retailer.
Learn More
For further facts about scams and how to avoid them, visit www.uspis.gov.
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"To ensure your postage labels are legitimate, always purchase postage labels through your own account, or through an Approved Postal Provider, advises the U.S. Postal Service."
