Missouri — Are you looking online for a good deal on postage stamps? Is a substantial discount of up to fifty percent off an order of United States Forever Stamps too good to pass up? If so, keep scrolling, they’re probably counterfeit. To ensure your trusted communication arrives at its destination without delay, the Postal Service and Postal Inspection Service wants you to be aware of–and avoid–phony postage.

The number of counterfeit stamps being sold from online platforms has escalated. Scammers peddle fake stamps on social media marketplaces, e-commerce sites via third party vendors, and other websites. Counterfeit stamps are often sold in bulk quantities at a significant discount–anywhere from 20 to 50 percent of their face value. That’s a tell-tale sign they’re bogus.

Purchasing stamps from a third-party wholesaler or online websites can be unpredictable. You have no way to verify whether they are genuine or not. The Postal Inspection Service recommends purchasing from Approved Postal Providers. Approved vendors can include legitimate “big box” or warehouse retailers who do provide very small discounts on postage stamps, but this is through resale agreements with the Postal Service.

What to do? Be certain you’re getting the real thing, purchase your stamps from the U.S. Postal Service at a location near you, or online at www.usps.com.

Customers who have questions or wish to report counterfeit stamps should call 1-877-876-2455 or go to www.uspis.gov.

The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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