Gerry's Tech Tip of the Month

         
         
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            GERRY HEBERT

HOW TO BEAT MAILBOX THIEVES, SCAMMERS, AND JUNK MAILERS

The United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) has recently reported an alarming rise in theft of mail pieces. Last year, USPIS reported receiving almost 300,000 mail theft and 40,000 mail-related check fraud complaints in the prior twelve months.

And then there's junk mail. Mostly, the swindles are similar to those you encounter online. For example: you've been fined for failing to report for jury duty or running a red light; you owe money to the IRS; or you've won on a lottery.

So, what can you do to protect yourself from the scammers, thieves and junk mail merchants?

Here are ten key actions:

1. If your mailbox is not lockable, empty it as soon as possible or have mail delivered to a PO Box.
2. If you lose your mailbox key, have your mail held until you change the lock if it's a personal box, or notify your local postal service immediately if it's one of their cluster boxes.
3. If you're mailing a check and worry about leaving it in your mailbox for collection, take it to the nearest post office and hand it to the clerk (or even just pop it into their mailbox).
4. Don't assume that a mail piece is genuine just because it's addressed to you and includes personal information or uses official-looking logos. Check it out by using online contact details.
5. Be aware that your junk mail is just that. You haven't been specially selected and you're not getting special treatment just for being you.
6. Never pay to collect supposed winnings.
7. Register with the Direct Marketing Association's DMAchoice opt-out service (https://www.dmachoice.org/register.php) to remove your name from mailing lists -- though this won't stop the scammers! You'll have to pay a couple of dollars, but you'll be saving some trees too!
8. Register with OptOutPrescreen.com to opt out of credit card and insurance offers. (You can also opt back in if you wish!)
9. Visit the non-profit CatalogChoice.org to learn how to stop other types of junk mail.
10. If you believe you are a victim of mail fraud or theft, notify USPIS immediately at https://www.uspis.gov/report.