The Postal Inspection Service is fighting increasingly sophisticated criminals, Chief Postal Inspector Guy Cottrell says.
“[We’re] adapting to the changing world of mail and shifting into the digital arena,” Cottrell tells Federal News Radio in a new interview.
The Inspection Service has formed a cybersecurity unit and is recruiting top IT talent to protect USPS and its customers, he says.
Foreign scams also remain a top concern.
The Inspection Service is involved with Project JOLT (Jamaican Operations Linked to Telemarketing), which focuses on Jamaican-based scams. Inspectors are in Jamaica, working with authorities and other U.S. federal agencies to combat this crime wave.
“Many schemes may start over the phone or internet, but still target postal customers by asking for something to be mailed,” Cottrell says.
In another common scheme, scammers call victims to solicit bail money for grandchildren who are supposedly jailed overseas.
In addition to training postal employees to spot fraud and hazardous materials, the Inspection Service distributes scam alerts that TV stations across the nation broadcast on their local newscasts.
The agency also helped create “The Inspectors” TV show to educate consumers on fraud.
The interview is one of several USPS segments planned this month by Washington, DC-based Federal News Radio.