HYANNIS – The United States Postal Service has announced that it is filing a federal register notice regarding changes to its mailing standards in response to a surge in the use of counterfeit postage in recent years.
Under the new policy articles found with postage made without authorization by the USPS will be classified as abandoned and can be opened or discarded as deemed appropriate by the service.
It is illegal to defraud the Postal Service via the use or sale of counterfeit postage.
Consumers will be made aware of the seizing and forfeiture of items with counterfeit postage, and those purchasing items online from vendors found to have used illegal postage will have to seek recourse through the vendor.
“As the most trusted government agency in the nation, we will continue to work together with law enforcement and government agencies to protect the sanctity of the mail,” said Gary Barksdale, Chief Postal Inspector of the USPS.
The USPS has opened a window for public comment until March 15, 2023.
Comments can be mailed to: Manager, Product Classification, U.S. Postal Service, 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Room 4446, Washington, DC 20260-5015.
Comments can also be emailed to [email protected] with a subject line of “Counterfeit Postage” with the name and address of the commenter included.
By, Matthew Tomlinson, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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