100 Forever Stamps 2017 U.S. Flag USPS First Class Postage Stamps Coil of 100 PCS/Roll
$29.99 Select options”

Ad · Counterfeit Postage Stamps

Some time ago I did a post about counterfeit U.S. Forever postage stamps and asked readers about them. No response. Now I’m seeing them advertised far and wide, with hints they may originate overseas, as in China.

Huge discounts on postage stamps usually point to scams. Have you noticed how much things have changed in todays super hyped world, with its sophisticated equipment, capabilities for mass production, and access to online platforms and social media?

Real stamps are printed using special ink that fluoresces under UV light at a certain frequency. Special machines detect stamps that don’t glow and reject them.

A collector discovered a new development related to the packaging of a counterfeit coil that might have outed the country of origin for at least one of the fakes. The words “Made in China” in English appear on a sticker affixed to shrink-wrap surrounding a hard plastic cup with a lid containing the coil roll of counterfeits.

US Postal Service Alerts re Counterfeit Stamps Onlinehttps://docusend.biz › blog:
If you are Buying Online Postage Stamps, don’t fall victim to stamp fraud: here’s what happens if you buy bogus stamps. Counterfeit postage is forwarded to the Postal Inspectors for further investigation. The mail piece may also be returned to the sender and held for postage due.

USPS warns you’ll have to look carefully to see whether they’re fake, however.

To confuse things just a little, the Post Office is also selling first class stamps online with “Forever” marked through–at least that’s what it looks like it means

There is also a site called usstampsonline.com, with a USPS2023 label. Someone took the time to insure more than 300 favorable reviews, (somewhat suspiciously). `In addition to sites advertising counterfeit stamps are barefaced sellers clearly identified–Teraw, Artofsmith, etc. An ad on Yahoo I can’t figure out: Ads · Counterfeit Postage Stamps for sale.

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. How can we know?
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 http://www.usps.com.
Customers who have questions or wish to report counterfeit stamps should call 1-877-876-2455 or go to http://www.uspis.gov.

If our Post Office really has some cut rate stamps it might be best if they would refrain from stepping into competition with the crooks. We know there are and have been (as under Warren Wilson) questionable behaviors by U.S. postmasters, but it feels like most of our culture is dirty already.

______________________________

Originally I was fretting that our policing force might attend to fraud against a branch of government instead of so many attacks and murders of our non-white neighbors. Then a reference to overseas origins, if true, made continuance of the fraud a little more understandable. Shouldn’t that be a federal offense anyway? With the possible exception of the January 6 hoodlums, I get tired of seeing special people (as in millionaires) receiving primarily money sentences. Do folks really think they can buy their way into heaven?