Flood of counterfeit postage prompts USPS to ‘abandon’ mail with fake adhesive

The U.S. Postal Service said Wednesday it will penalize customers who use counterfeit postage stamps by treating mail bearing such adhesives as “abandoned.”

Customers who mail mortgage payments or job applications with fake adhesives could end up missing critical deadlines as a result.

The USPS declared its intention in a Federal Register filing proposing changes to the mailing standards listed in the “Domestic Mail Manual,” a rulebook governing postal operations.

Under the proposed change, “articles found in the mails with counterfeit postage will be considered abandoned and may be opened and disposed of at the Postal Service’s discretion,” the USPS said in a news release announcing the move.

“As the most trusted government agency in the nation, we will continue to work together with other law enforcement and government agencies to protect the sanctity of the mail,” said Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale in a statement.

Asked about the loss of revenue due to counterfeit postage, the Postal Inspection Service said “information on national numbers relating to counterfeit postage” can be requested from its Freedom of Information Act department. 

A USPS “Forever” stamp for a 1-ounce letter costs 63 cents. Counterfeit postage stamps often are sold via internet advertising, eBay sellers and social media platforms such as Facebook at discount prices.

A Postal Inspection Service video states that the USPS does not sell postage below face value. Some authorized retailers, such as Costco, might offer a slight break on stamp prices, but not the 50% or greater discounts found in online ads.

Stamp expert Scott English, executive director of the American Philatelic Society, said a combination of consumers not knowing what a Forever stamp sells for and the pervasiveness of the online ads may be behind the fake postage flood.

“Our understanding is that these are coming through the People’s Republic of China,” Mr. English said. “I’ve talked to others who’ve purchased online where they’ve come from Russia.”

He said unsuspecting consumers “more likely than not are victims” of online sellers, and he wondered why the Postal Service isn’t trying to cut off the online advertising sales oxygen the sellers need.

“I would love to see some very aggressive enforcement by the U.S. Customs Service and the U.S. Postal Service on stopping these things at the port of entry and also working with tech companies that do advertising of these things to eliminate these fraudulent ads,” Mr. English said. “[Doing] those two things first would make more sense to me.”

In a statement to The Washington Times, the Postal Inspection Service said it “is actively working to identify shipments of counterfeit postage stamps entering the U.S. and the online sales of suspected counterfeit stamps.” They said the sale and use of counterfeit postage violate Title 18 of the United States Code and “If engaged in this fraudulent criminal activity, an individual may be liable for criminal and/or civil penalties.”