That “bargain” roll of postage stamps advertised on social media — $58 worth of postage for only $39 — can stick users with headaches, the U.S. Postal Service said Monday.
Use a counterfeit stamp and your letter will be confiscated and not reach its destination, the USPS said.
“The Postal Service does not sell stamps below the value listed on the stamp,” a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the agency’s law enforcement arm, said via email.
Postal inspectors said they are “aware of an increase in suspected counterfeit stamps offered for sale with many being offered on online platforms and websites. It is believed many of the counterfeit stamps are produced outside of the United States, however.”
Social media and email ads for “discount postage” surged in December and have continued into the new year. Some ads and websites offer a variety of postage, including two-ounce rates for wedding invitations and similar mailings, at half the retail cost.
