Andrew Pestano

US Postal Service Warns of Holiday Scams

The U.S. Postal Service is warning residents about potential holiday scams, such as fraudulent attempts to steal your personal information.

The USPS is concerned that social media and enticing offers could lead to some people being duped.

"You are going to get all kinds of solicitations, what we call fraud scams, or attempts of fraud scams, and they no longer only come in the mail," USPS Inspector Ivan Ramirez said. "Now with the advent of the internet – we have the internet – we have social media. So we have to be extra careful."

In some cases, the scam originates from another country and it makes it difficult or impossible for authorities to retrieve the money or items lost to scammers.

The scams could be veiled as enticing offers of which one would be foolish not to take advantage. Some scams increasingly steal your personal information over time, which puts people at risk for identity theft.

"Again it falls back to the old adage: if it looks too good to be true, folks, it usually is," Ramirez added.

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