U.S. Postal Inspection Service Press Conference Launches 1st Annual Workshop for 2009 National Consumer Protection Week

“Nuts and Bolts: Tools for Today’s Economy”

What:
Officials from South Carolina’s Postal Inspection Service will host a Press Conference to celebrate National Consumer Protection Week. Their purpose will be to announce an annual cooperative effort with state and federal agencies as well as private businesses to educate the public with a Consumer Protection Workshop. Officials will distribute DVDs and brochures warning against identity theft and fraudulent schemes, providing consumers with valuable information about protecting their financial assets from these types of crimes, as well as ways to report suspected financial fraud. SHRED360 will provide free shredding service for consumers from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of the Main Post Office.

Who:
Participants include: Representative from the Federal Trade Commission, W. Walt Wilkins, U.S. Attorney, Tracey Meyers, SC Attorney General’s Office, Internal Revenue Service, Brandolyn Pinkston, SC Department of Consumer Affairs, Postal Inspector Jack Galvin.

When:
11:30a.m.
Monday, March 2

Where:
Columbia Main Post Office
1601 Assembly St

Background:
National Consumer Protection Week, set for March 2 – 7, is a national program led by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to draw attention to issues and recommendations 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 identity theft and fraudulent schemes. The Postal Service will provide consumers with the tools and information needed to combat these types of crimes.

According to the National Consumers League, reported losses from one type of mail fraud alone – fraudulent schemes – quadrupled in three years. Each victim of this type of scam loses an average of $4,000.

The Postal Service will point customers to the website established by the Postal Inspection Service and its business partners: http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/ and www.FakeChecks.org.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.