Postal Service Warns Consumers of Fraudulent Schemes
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This week is National Consumer Protection week.
The U.S. Postal Service and the Federal Trade Commission want to help consumers educate themselves against identity theft and fraudulent schemes. All week a number of post offices will have DVD's and brochures with information on how to protect your money.
The postal service said to beware of check cashing schemes, Ponzi schemes for fraudulent investments, and even what is called a business shipping scheme that involves items purchased with stolen credit cards.
"If somebody is pressuring you to act right away they are guaranteeing these high return rates on something trivial the alert antenna should go up. I would look out for your elderly relatives, your neighbors and friends because we find that they are sometimes the most likely victim of a fraud and there is really none looking out and in the meantime they are sending thousands of dollars away looking for that great return and it doesn't happen," said Karen Mazurkiewicz, USPS representative.
If you think you have been a victim of mail fraud call 877-876-2455. If you have a complaint about a business, organization, or solicitation, call the FTC at 877-FTC-HELP.
US Postal Service