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United States Postal Inspection Service
1001 California Avenue • Room 2100
Pittsburgh, PA 15290-9000

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POSTAL MONEY ORDER ONLINE SCAM ALERT

Postal Inspectors are warning about a new scam involving USPS Postal Money Orders. Criminals are sending out emails to people who are selling items online. The email claims a buyer has been approved to purchase your item online through the USPS online payment system with a USPS Postal Money Order. USPS does NOT allow the purchase of money orders online and does not deal with online sellers or buyers directly or indirectly. In the email, the seller is informed that the postal money order will not be send until the item is mailed and there is a shipping tracking confirmation number emailed to the address for verification. Once the criminal has the item, the money order does not get mailed. USPS can't get your item back once it's been delivered. Be wary of people who are interested in your online item who live outside the United States.

The email is a solicitation claiming to be sent by customer service at the United States Postal Service. The “from” address is can appear as “moneyorder@usps.com”. Don’t let that fool you. If you try sending email to that address, it will be bounced back to you as undeliverable email because there is no such address on the U.S. Postal Service email system.

The United States Postal Service does not send out unsolicited email. USPS does not offer an incentive to take advantage of the email’s offer of “free shipping”. The USPS does not use a completely unrelated email address such as “xuperdealers@hotmail.com”, send it to one specific person, and utilize a free email provider for receiving such requests. USPS does not conduct “bonanzas” where participants can earn discounts for using the postal service.

United States Postal Service Money Orders can only be purchased by going to a post office or from a postal carrier.

Postal Service employees recommend taking the following steps if you received USPS Postal Money Orders, especially from a foreign country:

Closely examine Postal Money Orders received, especially those for high dollar amounts. Look for the following security features:
- A WATERMARK of Benjamin Franklin is visible when held to the light.
- A "USPS" security THREAD is embeddedin the paper.
- WARNING INSTRUCTIONS are listed on the reverse side.
- A crisp, textured paper stock
- RED INK on the serial numbers BLEEDS through to the back side of the paper.
- DENOMINATIONS are indicated on two locations on the Postal Money Order>
- DISCOLORATION around the denomination amounts if they have been erased.
- DENOMINATIONS no larger than $1,000.00, for International Money Orders no larger than $700.00.

Banks and other financial institutions should ask customer the circumstances surrounding receipt of the postal money order.

If a bank and/ or a financial institution does determine the money order to be counterfeit, they will submit it to the Postal Inspection Service. If a customer does deposit or cashes in a postal money order that turns out to be counterfeit, banks and financial institutions will charge the customer fees, can request payment of the money order and can freeze accounts. Banks and financial institutions often file a police report.

For more information on USPS Postal Money Orders, visit www.usps.com/money/sendingmoney/moneyorders/welcome.htm.

Click HERE for a complete list of scams and other fraudulent activity.

The Financial Crimes Task Force of Southwestern Pennsylvania is a cooperative effort of federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies working together to address the growing problem of financial crimes. The task force is run under the direction of the United States Postal Inspection Service.