GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Sending packages can be expensive, especially for businesses. Recently, USPS investigators discovered a rise in fraudulent postage in West Michigan, leading to an undercover investigation.
In July 2023, USPS inspectors noticed numerous packages shipped from the Zeeland-Holland area using alleged counterfeit e-postage. They tracked down the sender, flipping them into an undercover informant.
The informant revealed purchasing fake postage through a private Discord server called "Blitz Labels."
They were able to invite an undercover federal investigator into the group to gather information.
The postal inspector allegedly made five undercover purchases, including a 17-pound Priority Express parcel for $12 (worth more than $150).
Eventually, they were able to track down the person operating the server: a California man named Yael Sanchez.
Sanchez utilized legitimate businesses' Mail Identifiers (MIDs) without permission to create counterfeit labels.
He processed payments through Venmo and CashApp, utilizing a bot to manage orders and generate special codes for customers.
Sanchez also tracked gross revenue data using a bot, reporting $1,856,126.55 in revenue from the sale of 620,490 counterfeit USPS shipping labels as of April 16, 2024.
Wednesday, a USPS spokesperson declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
In an August audit by the Postal Service's Office of Inspector General, it was said that the USPS did not effectively manage their e-postage program due to the lack of an assigned e-postage program manager to oversee revenue strategy.
This case highlights the importance of vigilance in preventing postal fraud. Stay informed about postal scams and report suspicious activity.
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