Postal Service, Inspectors team up for National Consumer Protection Week

Penn Hills Senior Citizen’s Center to Host ‘Fake Check Prevention’ Seminar on March 5
“Don’t Fall For a Fake Check Scam”

What:
Postal Service officials, Postal Inspectors and the Penn Hills Police Department will host a seminar at the Penn Hills Senior Citizen Center to educate community members of “Fake Check Scams” as part of National Consumer Protection Week. Officials will provide consumers with valuable information about protecting their assets from the schemes as well as ways to report suspected financial fraud.

Who:
U.S. Postal Inspector Don Rood with officers from the Penn Hills Police Department

When:
10:30 a.m.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Where:
Penn Hills Senior Center
147 Jefferson Road (parking in rear)
Pittsburgh, PA 15235

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 Office of Consumer Advocate 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.