USPS and the Postal Inspection Service are helping to raise the public’s awareness of the prevalence of foreign-based scams.
The crimes frequently target older people, requiring them to mail something to scammers in other countries.
“Many people respect the Postal Service and believe these mailing requests are legitimate because the sender used First-Class Mail,” said St. Charles, IL, Postmaster Cynthia Schwartz, who participated in a recent awareness event in Great Lakes Area.
The meeting, which drew more than 200 attendees, included presentations from Schwartz and other postal representatives.
“It’s important to participate in events like this because it can be a great prevention tactic from becoming a victim to fraudsters,” said Postal Inspector Alvin Dvorak.
Chief Postal Inspector Guy Cottrell discussed the dangers of foreign-based scams in a recent interview.
The Inspection Service also educates the public about foreign scams through the Delivering Trust site and “The Inspectors” television series.