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Beware of IMPOSTER SCAMS! Learn More></B></a> <a href="javascript:;" class="uspis-icon uspis-icon-close close" aria-label="Close this alert"></a> </div>  <div class="progress" role="progressbar" aria-hidden="true" aria-valuemin="0" aria-valuemax="100"> <div class="meter" style></div> </div>  <div class="search_header"> <form class="search_form" id="search" action="https://www.uspis.gov/search/" autocomplete="off"> <input type="hidden" autocomplete="false"> <input type="text" name="skey" id="searchInput" required pattern=".+" aria-hidden="true" autocomplete="off" tabindex="-1"> <label class="placeholder" for="searchInput">Search</label> <button class="arrow_cta hidden" style="right:0">View All Results</button> <script> "use strict"; localStorage["max_records"] = 8; </script> </form> <div class="top_results hidden"></div> <div class="no_results hidden"> <strong class="header">No Results Found</strong> <p>Sorry, no results found for “Lorem Ipsum”. Try entering fewer or broader search terms.</p> </div> </div> </header> <a class="report-fab" href="https://www.uspis.gov/report/" aria-label="Report a Crime"> <i class="uspis-icon uspis-icon-report" aria-hidden="true"></i> <span class="label" aria-hidden="true">Report a Crime</span> </a> <main id="main" class="site_container"> <article class="about inspectors" id="page-16219"> <section class="hero "> <div class="foreground"> <div class="content"> <h1 data-eyebrow="National Consumer Protection Week"> DO YOU REALLY KNOW WHO YOU'RE TALKING TO? </h1> <p>Beware of imposter scams! The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will participate in National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW), March 2-8, 2025, to educate American consumers on the dangers of imposter scams and how to avoid them.</p> </div> </div> <div class="background desktop_image parallax" style="background-image: url(https://www.uspis.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025_NCPW_Website_Header_v2_SM-2460x1440-Website_With_Fade.jpg)"> </div> <div class="background mobile_image" style="background-image: url(https://www.uspis.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025_NCPW_Website_Header_v2_SM-750x1330-Mobile_With_Fade.jpg)"></div>  <menu class="share fixed"> <a class="share-trigger" tabindex="-1" aria-label="Share this page"><i class="uspis-icon uspis-icon-share"></i></a> <div class="wrap" role="menu"> <a href="#/facebook.com" role="menuitem" aria-label="Share this page on Facebook" title="Share this page on Facebook"> <i class="uspis-icon uspis-icon-social-facebook"></i> </a> <a href="#/twitter.com" role="menuitem" aria-label="Share this page on Twitter" title="Share this page on Twitter"> <i class="uspis-icon uspis-icon-social-twitter"></i> </a> <a href="#/copy" role="menuitem" aria-label="Copy a link to this page" title="Copy a link to this page"> <i class="uspis-icon uspis-icon-social-link"></i> </a> <a href="/subscribe" role="menuitem" onclick="goToSubscribe()"> <svg aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" data-prefix="fas" data-icon="envelope" class="svg-inline--fa fa-envelope fa-w-16" role="img" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewbox="0 0 512 512" style=" width: 35%; height: auto; margin: 0 auto; display: block; "><path fill="currentColor" d="M502.3 190.8c3.9-3.1 9.7-.2 9.7 4.7V400c0 26.5-21.5 48-48 48H48c-26.5 0-48-21.5-48-48V195.6c0-5 5.7-7.8 9.7-4.7 22.4 17.4 52.1 39.5 154.1 113.6 21.1 15.4 56.7 47.8 92.2 47.6 35.7.3 72-32.8 92.3-47.6 102-74.1 131.6-96.3 154-113.7zM256 320c23.2.4 56.6-29.2 73.4-41.4 132.7-96.3 142.8-104.7 173.4-128.7 5.8-4.5 9.2-11.5 9.2-18.9v-19c0-26.5-21.5-48-48-48H48C21.5 64 0 85.5 0 112v19c0 7.4 3.4 14.3 9.2 18.9 30.6 23.9 40.7 32.4 173.4 128.7 16.8 12.2 50.2 41.8 73.4 41.4z"></path></svg> </a> </div> </menu> <script> function goToSubscribe() { window.location.href = '/subscribe'; } </script></section> <section class="application_process" style=""> <div class="content"> <div class="article-content"> <p><image src="https://www.uspis.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/goldbar-1.png"> NCPW is a grassroots campaign focusing on consumers understanding their rights, while providing tips to consumers on preventing frauds and scams. Each year the Postal Inspection Service, working with the <span style="color: #4a6ee0;"><u><a href="https://www.ftc.gov/">Federal Trade Commission (FTC)</span></a></u> offers guidance based on trend analyses of the most common frauds and scams identified by consumers.</p> <p>As part of NCPW, postal inspectors are reminding consumers to beware of IMPOSTER SCAMS: the person on the other end of that digital communication might not be who they claim to be. These scams are designed to steal money and identity. Each of the four types of imposter scams starts with messages like, “I’m in trouble…,” “I need…,” “You’ve won!…,” or “I have a great offer for you!” These scammers lull consumers into a false sense of trust, gain access to privileged information, and then drain financial accounts.</p> <p>You don’t have to be a victim. If you recognize a scam, you can stop a scam. Learn more about the most common imposter scams below.</p> </div> <a href="https://usps-mailin-it.simplecast.com/episodes/spotting-imposter-scams" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="arrow_cta external" aria-label="Mailin' It! Podcast Episode 67: Spotting Imposter Scams">Mailin' It! Podcast Episode 67: Spotting Imposter Scams</a> </div> </section><section class="postal_inpector_video" style=""> <div class="content"> <div class="article-content"> <h3>Beware of Imposter Scams</h3> </div> <figure class="video"> <figcaption class="video-info"> <span class="video-title">Beware of Imposter Scams</span> <p class="video-description">Scammers will contact you in multiple ways pretending to be a government or law enforcement agency. If they demand payment or your personal information, don't respond. It's an imposter scam.</p> </figcaption> <div class="video-embed"> <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5V1zF2GBLC4?rel=0&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen title="Beware of Imposter Scams"></iframe> </div> </figure> </div> </section><section class="" style=""> <div class="content"> <div class="article-content"> <section class="blades "> <ul class="content"> <li class="blade image_grid_blade" id="investment-scams"> <h3><a class="toggle" href="#investment-scams">Investment Scams</a></h3> <div class="blade_details"> <div class="blade_padding"> <div class="grid"> <div class="grid_row"> <div class="image"> <div class="inset mobile_image" style="background-image: url(https://www.uspis.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025_NCPW_Website_Supporting_Image_v1_SM-Investment_Scam.jpg)"></div> <div class="inset desktop_image" style="background-image: url(https://www.uspis.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025_NCPW_Website_Supporting_Image_v1_SM-Investment_Scam.jpg)"></div> </p></div> <div class="text"> <h4></h4> <p>Investment opportunities or “get rich quick” schemes are a favorite of fraudsters. Whether they sell bogus securities or commodities, oil wells or gold coins, these fraudulent promoters try to get you to invest your money – and lots of it.</p> <p>Even smart investors can fall for a well-orchestrated investment scam. Take the Ponzi scheme, for example. Named for Charles Ponzi, who in the early 1900s duped 30,000 Americans out of an estimated $10 million dollars.</p> </p></div> </p></div> </p></div> </p></div> <ol class="tips"> <li class="tip"> <h4 class="tip-title">Do your research</h4> <p><span class="tip-description"></p> <p>Independently verify profitability claims. Never invest solely on what you read in a newsletter.</p> <p></span> </li> <li class="tip"> <h4 class="tip-title">Don’t feel pressured</h4> <p><span class="tip-description"></p> <p>Watch out for high-pressure sales pitches and unsolicited offers. Get all information in writing before you consider investing.</p> <p></span> </li> <li class="tip"> <h4 class="tip-title">Watch out for “once in a lifetime” chance</h4> <p> <span class="tip-description"></p> <p>Never fall for a “once in a lifetime” chance to make big money if you don’t act quickly.</p> <p></span> </li> <li class="tip"> <h4 class="tip-title">Check Better Business Bureau</h4> <p><span class="tip-description"></p> <p>Research the company’s reputation with your local <a href="https://www.bbb.org/">Better Business Bureau</a> or state attorney general’s office. You can also find more information about consumer rights at the <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/">Federal Trade Commission</a></p> <p></span> </li> <li class="tip"> <h4 class="tip-title">There are no guarantees</h4> <p><span class="tip-description"></p> <p>Remember, investing in oil, gas, or gold can be risky, and there is no such thing as a guarantee.</p> <p></span> </li> </ol> </li> <li class="blade image_grid_blade" id="grandparents-scams"> <h3><a class="toggle" href="#grandparents-scams">Grandparents Scams</a></h3> <div class="blade_details"> <div class="blade_padding"> <div class="grid"> <div class="grid_row"> <div class="image"> <div class="inset mobile_image" style="background-image: url(https://www.uspis.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025_NCPW_Website_Supporting_Image_v1_SM-Grandparents_Scam.jpg)"></div> <div class="inset desktop_image" style="background-image: url(https://www.uspis.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025_NCPW_Website_Supporting_Image_v1_SM-Grandparents_Scam.jpg)"></div> </p></div> <div class="text"> <h4></h4> <p>Have you ever received a frantic call from someone posing as your grandchild? Scammers will call or email grandparents to make urgent requests for bail money, lawyer’s fees, hospital bills, or other fictitious expenses. To make the story seem plausible, the scammer will add details about how, what or where the emergency happened, or tell you that a third person, such as a lawyer, doctor or police officer, will “explain everything to you” if you call him or her. Once the money is sent, the scammers are long gone and the grandparent loses hundreds, even thousands of dollars.</p> </p></div> </p></div> </p></div> </p></div> <ol class="tips"> <li class="tip"> <h4 class="tip-title">Verify the story before sending money</h4> <p> <span class="tip-description"></p> <p>Before sending any money, verify the details of the story with the relative that the scam artist is claiming to be or other trusted family members or friends.</p> <p></span></p> <li class="tip"> <h4 class="tip-title">Be suspicious of urgent requests</h4> <p> <span class="tip-description"></p> <p>The scammers’ preferred methods of payment are wire transfers or reloadable prepaid credit cards. Be suspicious of any urgent requests to wire money or provide credit card numbers over the phone.</p> <p></span> </li> <li class="tip"> <h4 class="tip-title">Be wary of late-night calls</h4> <p> <span class="tip-description"></p> <p>Remember, scammers may call late at night to confuse their potential victims.</p> <p></span> </li> <li class="tip"> <h4 class="tip-title">Think before acting</h4> <p> <span class="tip-description"></p> <p>Don’t be quick to act, be quick to think.</p> <p></span> </li> </ol> </li> <li class="blade image_grid_blade" id="romance-scams"> <h3><a class="toggle" href="#romance-scams">Romance Scams</a></h3> <div class="blade_details"> <div class="blade_padding"> <div class="grid"> <div class="grid_row"> <div class="image"> <div class="inset mobile_image" style="background-image: url(https://www.uspis.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025_NCPW_Website_Supporting_Image_v1_SM-Romance_Scam.jpg)"></div> <div class="inset desktop_image" style="background-image: url(https://www.uspis.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025_NCPW_Website_Supporting_Image_v1_SM-Romance_Scam.jpg)"></div> </p></div> <div class="text"> <h4></h4> <p>Unfortunately, the Internet, social media, and dating websites are perfect for tricking susceptible Americans into romantic relationships. Scammers will pretend to be interested in an unwitting person and, after building a rapport, ask them to send money or to cash a check or money order. Often, the scammers create urgency by claiming to have a medical emergency or promising to come to the U.S. to be with that person—as long as a check or money order is cashed to cover expenses. None of their stories are true. Anyone who is socially isolated is susceptible to this scam.</p> </p></div> </p></div> </p></div> </p></div> <ol class="tips"> <li class="tip"> <h4 class="tip-title">First</h4> <p> <span class="tip-description"></p> <p>With any Internet-based relationship, keep your personal details to yourself.</p> <p></span> </li> <li class="tip"> <h4 class="tip-title">Next</h4> <p> <span class="tip-description"></p> <p>Do a quick Google search of the other person’s name and the town they claim to be living in.</p> <p></span> </li> <li class="tip"> <h4 class="tip-title">From There</h4> <p> <span class="tip-description"></p> <p>Proceed slowly and look for inconsistencies in the other person’s profile and the information they share.</p> <p></span> </li> <li class="tip"> <h4 class="tip-title">Stay Vigilant</h4> <p> <span class="tip-description"></p> <p>Keep an eye out for signs the relationship is moving in a direction that it wouldn’t otherwise go if meeting in real life.</p> <p></span> </li> <li class="tip"> <h4 class="tip-title">Stay Aware</h4> <p> <span class="tip-description"></p> <p>As you get to know the other person, gently apply the brakes if your new friend pushes to take the conversation to private email. Stay on the website’s platform until it’s time to meet in person.</p> <p></span> </li> <li class="tip"> <h4 class="tip-title">Always Remember</h4> <p> <span class="tip-description"></p> <p>If your new love interest begins to ask for money to visit you, or for any emergent need… Stop! This is a warning sign you could have encountered a romance scammer.</p> <p></span> </li> </ol> </li> <li class="blade image_grid_blade" id="foreign-lottery-and-sweepstakes-scams"> <h3><a class="toggle" href="#foreign-lottery-and-sweepstakes-scams">Foreign Lottery and Sweepstakes Offers</a></h3> <div class="blade_details"> <div class="blade_padding"> <div class="grid"> <div class="grid_row"> <div class="image"> <div class="inset mobile_image" style="background-image: url(https://www.uspis.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025_NCPW_Website_Supporting_Image_v1_SM-Lottery_Scam.jpg)"></div> <div class="inset desktop_image" style="background-image: url(https://www.uspis.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025_NCPW_Website_Supporting_Image_v1_SM-Lottery_Scam.jpg)"></div> </p></div> <div class="text"> <h4></h4> <p><i>You’ve Won!</i> A familiar phrase, filled with excitement, however, that joy will be short-lived if you fall victim to a lottery or sweepstakes scam. Lottery and Sweepstakes offers are designed to pull you in with the excitement of a “big win,” but all these offers are worth nothing more than the ink on the paper you received in the mail, or the time you spent on the phone with the scammer. If you must pay to play, it’s a scam.</p> </p></div> </p></div> </p></div> </p></div> <ol class="tips"> <li class="tip"> <h4 class="tip-title">Never pay to win</h4> <p> <span class="tip-description"></p> <p>A contest you pay to enter is considered an illegal sweepstakes. Don’t pay to enter or to win.</p> <p></span> </li> <li class="tip"> <h4 class="tip-title">Avoid foreign sweepstakes</h4> <p> <span class="tip-description"></p> <p>Avoid any sweepstakes that involves a foreign country. If a lottery or sweepstakes is based in another country and conducted through the mail, it’s illegal.</p> <p></span> </li> <li class="tip"> <h4 class="tip-title">Don’t give out financial information</h4> <p> <span class="tip-description"></p> <p>Never give out personal financial information such as bank accounts or credit card numbers to enter a sweepstakes contest.</p> <p></span> </li> <li class="tip"> <h4 class="tip-title">Don’t feel pressured</h4> <p> <span class="tip-description"></p> <p>Take your time. Don’t be pressured into making an immediate decision to enter a contest, make a purchase, or give a donation.</p> <p></span> </li> </ol> </li> </ul> </section> </div> </div> </section><section class="page_end " style=""> <div class="content"> <h2>ALWAYS REMEMBER</h2> <p>Remembering these tips will help you identify a scammer and put a stop to their web of lies.</p> <p>For more information on fraud prevention and tips, visit our website at <a href="https://www.uspis.gov/tips-prevention">https://www.uspis.gov/tips-prevention</a>.</p> <p>If you believe you have been a victim of a fraud or any crime related to the U.S. Mail, please report it at <a href="www.uspis.gov/report">www.uspis.gov/report</a>, or call postal inspectors at 877-876-2455.</p> <a data-cta-title="REPORT NOW | ALWAYS REMEMBER" href="https://www.uspis.gov/report" class="button-white " aria-label="REPORT NOW">REPORT NOW</a> </div> </section> </article> </main> <footer class="footer" id="keel"> <div class="site-branding"> <a href="https://www.uspis.gov/" class="custom-logo-link " rel="home" itemprop="url"><img src="https://www.uspis.gov/wp-content/themes/uspis/images/logo.svg" class="custom-logo" alt="United States Postal Inspection Service" itemprop="logo"></a> <span class="site-title">United States Postal Inspection Service</span> </div> <div class="wrap menus"> <nav id="nav_menu-2" class="menu widget_nav_menu"><span class="hidden">Footer Level 1</span><div class="menu-footer-level-1-container"><ul id="menu-footer-level-1" class="menu"><li id="menu-item-12643" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-12643"><a href="https://www.uspis.gov/careers">Careers</a></li> <li id="menu-item-1341" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-1341"><a href="https://www.uspis.gov/press-kit">Press Kit</a></li> <li id="menu-item-8108" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-8108"><a href="https://www.uspis.gov/medios-de-comunicacion-espanol">Medios de Comunicación - 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