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U.S. Postal Inspection Service Guide to Preventing Mail Fraud

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Page 1: Publication 300-A - Guide to Preventing Mail Fraud · Guide To Preventing Mail Fraud 11. Internet Fraud Thenternet I is teeming with fraudulent schemes, and swindlers find it easy

United StateS PoStal inSPection Service

WaShington dc 20260-2169addreSS Service reqUeSted

First-Class Mail Postage & Fees Paid

UsPs PerMit No. g-10

to learn more about mail fraud or to report suspected fraud, visit the U.s. Postal inspection Web site at postalinspectors.uspis.gov

United States Postal inspection Service

Publication 300-A, June 2010

PSN 7610-04-000-6949

U.S. Postal Inspection Service

Guide to Preventing Mail Fraud

Page 2: Publication 300-A - Guide to Preventing Mail Fraud · Guide To Preventing Mail Fraud 11. Internet Fraud Thenternet I is teeming with fraudulent schemes, and swindlers find it easy

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 FakeCheckScams

25 HowtoContactthePostalInspectionService

Guide To Preventing Mail Fraud 1

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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?

2 U.S. Postal Inspection Service

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Sweepstakes and ‘Free’ Prizes

Business Tip: Advertising specialty products

like pens, key tags, baseball caps, and ice

scrapers, to name a few, has 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.

3Guide To Preventing Mail Fraud

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‘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.

U.S. Postal Inspection Service4

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Thatbrownenvelopeinyourmailboxlookedso

officialyouthoughtitwasfromagovernment

agency.Eventhename,returnaddress,andseallookedofficial.Such

mailingscanbedeceptiveandconfusing,andaresometimesillegal.They

typicallycontainsweepstakessolicitationsorrequestsfordonationsto

politicalcauses.Suchmailingsarenolongerallowedunless:

■ Theentityactuallyhasagovernmentconnection,approval,

orendorsement.

■ Themailanditsenvelopebearanoticethatdisclaimssuchconnection,

approval,orendorsementbyagovernmentagency.

■ Thematerialiscontainedinapublicationpurchasedorrequestedbythe

addressee.

Carefullyreadthematerialinsidetheenvelopetodetermineifitreally

isfromagovernmentagency.

Government Look-Alike Mail

5Guide To Preventing Mail Fraud 5

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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.

66 U.S. Postal Inspection Service

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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.

Guide To Preventing Mail Fraud 7

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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: MoreThan300Million

World Population:MoreThan6Billion

8 U.S. Postal Inspection Service

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Charity FraudMostmailsolicitationsfor

charitablecontributionsarelegitimateappealsforagood

cause.Somearephony.Charityfrauddoesalotofharm.

Theswindlertakesadvantageofpeople’sgoodwilland

takestheircash—moneymeantforpeopleinneed.

Givetocharitiesyouknow.Checkouttheonesyou

haveneverheardof,orwhosenamesaresimilartowell-

knowncharities.Also:

■ Besuspiciousofcharitiesthatacceptonlycash.

■ Alwaysmakeoutyourcheckormoneyordertothe

organizationtowhichyouwanttodonatemoney,notto

anindividual.

Guide To Preventing Mail Fraud 9

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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.

10 U.S. Postal Inspection Service

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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.

Guide To Preventing Mail Fraud 11

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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.

12 U.S. Postal Inspection Service

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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 13

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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.

14 U.S. Postal Inspection Service

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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”?

Guide To Preventing Mail Fraud 15

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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.

16 U.S. Postal Inspection Service

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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.

Guide To Preventing Mail Fraud 17

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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.

18 U.S. Postal Inspection Service

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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.

Guide To Preventing Mail Fraud 19

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20 U.S. Postal Inspection Service

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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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.

Guide To Preventing Mail Fraud 21

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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.

22 U.S. Postal Inspection Service

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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.

Guide To Preventing Mail Fraud 23

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24 U.S. Postal Inspection Service

Fake Check Scams Shouldyouwiremoneytoastranger?U.S.PostalInspectorshope

yousay:Absolutelynot!Theoffermaysoundlikeanicedeal,but—

asusual—it’sjusttoogoodtobetrue.Thecheckormoneyorderyoureceivewillbecounterfeit.And

you’llbeoutthemoney.

Fakecheckscamsappearinvariousdisguises:

■ You’reoverpaidforanitemyousoldontheInternetandareaskedtowire-transferbacktheextra

dollars.

■ Youreceiveacheckwithanoticethatyou’vewonaforeignlotteryorsweepstakes.You’retoldto

depositthecheck,representingaportionofyourwinnings,andwire-transfer$2,000to$5,000back

“tocoverthetaxes”soyoucancollecttherestofyourwinnings.

■ Youreceiveawork-at-homeofferthatpromises,inreturnfordepositingamoneyorderorcheckto

yourbankaccount,youcankeepapercentageofthemoneyafterwire-transferringtherest.

■ Someoneinachatroomasksyouforafavor:Justcashacheckandwire-transferbackthemoney.

■ Youseeawork-at-homeofferonlinethatrequiresusingsoftwaretocreatechecksonyourcomputer

andmailingthecheckstoU.S.addresses.

Inanycase,thecheckormoneyorderyoureceivefordepositwillbeacounterfeit.Itwillbe

returnedtoyourbankunpaid,andthefullamountwillbedeductedfromyouraccount.

Youareresponsibleforanycheckormoneyorderyoudeposittoyouraccount.Ifthecheckor

moneyorderturnsouttobeacounterfeit,orisreturnedunpaidforanyreason,youarefullyresponsible

fortheloss.

Federallawrequiresbankstomakedepositedfundsavailablewithin1to5businessdays.

Justbecauseyoucanwithdrawcashfromyouraccountsoonafterdepositingacheckormoney

orderdoesn’tmeantheitemyoudepositedisvalid.Itcanbeweeksbeforeacheckormoneyorderis

discoveredtobeacounterfeitandreturnedtoyourbankunpaid.Bankemployeesmaynotbeableto

determinewhetheranitemisinvalid.Theirjobistoprocessyourfinancialdocument.

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Guide To Preventing Mail Fraud 25

Ifyoubelieveyou’vebeenvictimizedbyascaminvolvingtheU.S.

Mail,youcangethelpbycontactingyournearestPostalInspection

Serviceofficeinoneofthreeways:

1. Call1-877-876-2455(pressoption“4”toreportsuspectedmailfraud).

2. Visitpostalinspectors.uspis.govtoreportsuspectedfraudonline.

3. Mailyourqueriestothisaddress:

CRIMINALINVESTIGATIONSSERVICECENTERATTN:MAILFRAUD222SRIVERSIDEPLZSTE1250CHICAGOIL60606-6100

How to Contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service

How to Contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service

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United StateS PoStal inSPection Service

WaShington dc 20260-2169addreSS Service reqUeSted

First-Class Mail Postage & Fees Paid

UsPs PerMit No. g-10

to learn more about mail fraud or to report suspected fraud, visit the U.s. Postal inspection Web site at postalinspectors.uspis.gov

United States Postal inspection Service

Publication 300-A, June 2010

PSN 7610-04-000-6949

U.S. Postal Inspection Service

Guide to Preventing Mail Fraud