U.S. Postal Service Launches National Consumer Protection Week

Theme: “Don’t Fall For a Fake Check Scam”

What:
Postal Service officials in partnership with the Financial Readiness Program with Army Community Service

Who:
Brian Swords, U.S. Postal Inspector, Atlanta Division. Inspector Swords will be available to answer questions and educate consumers on fraudulent scams in their business and personal affairs.

When:
Thursday March 6th, 2008
9:00am-2:00pm

Where:
The Courtyard
Bldg 36708 Brainard Ave
Fort Gordon, Ga 30905

Background:
National Consumer Protection Week, set for March 2-8, is a national program led by the Federal Trade Commission to draw attention to issues and ideas that help customers become smarter consumers of products, materials and services and improve their knowledge of how to combat fraud of any type.

The U.S. Postal Service and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are working to educate consumers about fraudulent schemes and to provide them with the tools and information needed to combat these “fake check” frauds.

The facts are telling: According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, the number of reported fake checks is increasing, from an average of 593 per month in 2004 to an average of 787 per month in 2007. The amount of reported losses from fake check scams has also quadrupled over the past three years. According to the National Consumers League, victims lose an average $3,000 to $4,000.

The Postal Service will point customers to the website established by the Postal Inspection Service and its business partners, www.FakeChecks.org.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation — 146 million homes and businesses. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.