Postal Service Offers National Consumer Protection Week Information at Westchester District Post Offices

“Don’t Fall For a Fake Check Scam”

What:
Postal Service officials are celebrating National Consumer Protection Week. Officials will distribute brochures warning against fraudulent financial schemes, providing consumers with valuable information about protecting their assets from the schemes as well as ways to report suspected financial fraud at select Westchester District Post Offices. (schedule at end of this release)

Who:
U.S. Postal Service Consumer Affairs Representatives

When:
Monday, March 3 through Friday March 7, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Where:
Westchester NY District Post Offices

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.

Westchester NY District National Consumer Protection Week Events – MARCH 2 – 7, 2008

ALL EVENTS SCHEDULED 10 AM – 1 PM AT FOLLOWING POST OFFICES:

Monday, March 3, 2008

Bronxville PO
119 Pondfield RD
Bronxville NY 10708

Catskill PO
270 Main ST
Catskill NY 12414

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Mt. Kisco PO
3 Morgan DR
Mt. Kisco NY 10549

Monticello PO
486 Broadway
Monticello NY 12701

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Brewster PO
3 Mt Ebo Road N
Brewster NY 10509

Kingston Main PO
50 Main ST
Kingston NY 12401

Thursday, March 6, 2008

White Plains Main PO
100 Fisher AVE
White Plains NY 10606

Middletown PO
40 Fulton ST
Middletown NY 10940

Friday, March 7, 2008

Spring Valley Main PO
7 N Madison AVE
Spring Valley NY 10977

Poughkeepsie Main PO
55 Mansion ST
Poughkeepsie NY 12601

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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/news.

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.