(RepublicanView.org) – A growing number of clever scammers have reportedly begun posing as postal workers in brazen attempts to rip off consumers.
According to The New York Post, The US Postal Service’s policing division has seen a spike in complaints about actions from employees that turned out to be scammers. It has led to new investigations for a division that typically focuses on mail fraud. However, it has been called in to assist with other efforts before, including the case involving Ted Kaczynski, better known as the “Unabomber.”
The new scam involves perpetrators calling consumers and claiming that the United States Postal Inspection Service inspected a package sent from another country to the addressee that contained drugs or other illegal items. Some will even ask if they recently traveled to the country, have relatives there, or know someone with a specific (false) name.
The scammer will then claim that an arrest warrant has been issued for them. They will then claim that if their victim is truly innocent, they can send administrative fees to cancel the warrant while they “investigate.” Most ask for payment via gift cards, but some have also requested cash transfers.
One perpetrator reportedly called a journalist working for The Post back in January. That scammer even provided a name and budget number, which was later confirmed to be fake.
Similar scams have involved other government agencies, including the IRS, FBI, and CIA. In one incident, Charlotte Cowles, a financial analyst who writes for New York Magazine, once sent $50,000 to a scammer who claimed to be a CIA agent. According to Cowles, the scammer already knew her social security number and other pertinent details, including relatives and her home address. Even more chilling, the scammer noted what her toddler was doing at that moment. She physically handed the money to a man in a white Mercedes SUV shortly after.
Authorities have had a difficult time tracking the scammers. Many of them are in other countries well beyond their jurisdictions. They try to shut down the numbers used by scammers, but they can easily generate new phone numbers.
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