Don't Fall Victim to MAIL FRAUD

Each year, thousands of consumers and businesspeople fall prey to mail fraud schemes. The scams range from phony invoices for work never performed to fake notifications about foreign lottery winnings. They snare victims of all ages, from all walks of life.

Unfortunately, if victims don't recognize a scam until their lifesavings are in fraudsters' hands, they rarely recover their money. Prevention is the key to eliminating mail fraud, and protection begins with awareness of the latest scams.

"In the past, the majority of fraud schemes were conducted domestically, which made it much easier to catch the criminals," says Denise N. Backus. She's a postal inspector and acting national public information officer with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service [https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/]. "In our global society, international criminals create more challenges for law enforcement and, as a result, we're actively involved with foreign law enforcement in several countries, working together to protect consumers."

Still, says Steve Cox, vice president of communications for the Council of Better Business Bureaus [www.bbb.org/], "Although the delivery mechanism has changed, the basic schemes haven't. Before the Internet, criminals contacted consumers by phone or mail, or even door-to-door. Many Internet scams qualify as mail fraud, because any payment or shipment of goods usually happens by mail."

He offers these tips for reporting suspected fraud to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and your local Better Business Bureau:

1. On the envelope in which the phony invoice or solicitation arrived, note the date received and sign your name. Keep all of the solicitation materials with the envelope in which you received them.
2. Complete a Mail Fraud Report, available at any local post office, or online [https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/forms/MailFraudComplaint.aspx].
3. Send the Mail Fraud Report and copies of any bills, receipts, advertisements, canceled checks (front and back), and so forth to:

Inspection Service Support Group
222 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 1250
Chicago, IL 60606-6100

Keep the originals for your records. Also send copies to your local Better Business Bureau. If

you become aware of a scheme only after you've sent money in response to a fraudulent solicitation or invoice, immediately contact your local police department as well. You can reach the Postal Inspection Service's Mail Fraud Hotline at 800-372-8347.

Copyright 2006 Credit Union National Association Inc. Information subject to change without notice. All other rights reserved.