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CHECK THE CHECKS
Postal Inspectors want to alert the financial industry to a new fraud
scheme. Letters are being mailed from Canada to U.S. residents
announcing that the recipient will receive a substantial cash payment,
but that "duty fees" must be paid, and the addressee must telephone a
foreign "customs agency". When victims call the phone number, they are
told a "trustee" can pay for the fees if they do not earn more than
$5,000 a month. The addressee is told to fax a copy of their paycheck to
prove their limited
earnings. A second letter soon arrives, containing a counterfeit check,
appearing to be from the United States Postal Service or another
business. The victim is told to deposit the check, then wire a
portion of the money
outside the United States.
The Postal Inspection Service is aggressively investigating this scheme
in order to stop further compromises of legitimate bank account
information and prevent victims from losing funds.
The fraudulent Postal Service checks DO NOT have the following security
features:
justified in gray band across top of check stating 'FACE OF THIS
DOCUMENT
PRINTED IN RED, BLUE & GRAY INKS.'
in white opaque ink in wire-woven pattern.
line - look for repeated US POSTAL SERVICE.
If a customer presents a Postal Service check to be cashed or deposited
at one of your locations, it is recommended that the teller ask the
presenter how the check was received and for what purpose. It is also
recommended that two forms of ID be obtained.
The Postal Service does not send ANY monetary disbursements originating
outside the United States. Furthermore, there is no reason a recipient
of a cash payment should ever have to provide any kind of income
verification, or to return any portion of a payment via wire transfer.
If you believe that the check is related to a purported cash payment
coming from Canada, we suggest that you do not accept the check. Call
the Postal Inspection Service immediately at 877-876-2455
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