Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials in Chicago recently intercepted a significant shipment of counterfeit U.S. Forever stamps originating from China. Over the course of a weekend, eight separate packages containing a total of 161,860 fake stamps were flagged at the Chicago International Mail Branch. Had these stamps been genuine, their estimated value would have exceeded $118,000.
CBP officers identified the stamps as fraudulent due to several factors, including suspiciously low invoice values, unusual shipping routes, and attempts to conceal the stamps within the packages. LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director of Field Operations in Chicago, commended the officers' expertise in recognizing the counterfeit items, which she described as appearing remarkably authentic.
Sutton-Burke emphasized the negative impact of counterfeit postage on both individual mail service and the broader U.S. economy, highlighting the counterfeiters' sole focus on profit. She praised the specialized training of CBP officers, which enabled them to identify and intercept the fake stamps before they could reach their intended destinations.
Despite the relatively poor quality of the seized stamps, CBP warns that counterfeiting techniques are becoming increasingly sophisticated, making it harder for consumers to distinguish between real and fake postage. The agency notes that surges in counterfeit stamp activity often coincide with holidays, particularly those involving high volumes of card sending, like Valentine's Day. As a reminder, genuine U.S. postage stamps are produced domestically by the U.S. Bureau of Engraving & Printing.
