Scam Type
Sweepstakes/Lottery/Prizes Scam
Business Name Used
Phishing Scam
Date Reported
August 10, 2023
Postal Code
None
Total Dollars Lost
$ 0
Scam Description
Through informed delivery, I saw an instantly suspicious mail piece, using one of scammers favorite styles, the prefabricated official document that is a mailing piece itself and needs to be opened by perforations. On the outside of the address area was big lettering “Happy Birthday” and my name/address, so this already is a beware that scammers, who can datamine one’s birthdate/address, are using this particular scam with a birthday angle, presumably to take advantage of one’s birthday where they may let their guard down and be more convinced to follow what is inside. I haven’t gotten the piece yet, but it is photographed in my Daily Delivery notice by the post office. Now, I worked as a mail carrier years before, so I instantly recognized the hallmark on the outer mail piece of a scam: the mailing permit, although the return address was one of Washington DC, presumably to make it seem official government address, with Accounting Division, as if one is going to get some kind of Government financial break for having a birthday (a confidence scheme), was in another state entirely, Florida. I can tell you that no government office in Washington is going to use a mail permit issued from Florida – that alone identifies this piece as fraudulent. And I am reporting that here so that users be on the lookout for such a mail piece with return address of Accounting Division, 2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW #421 Washington, DC 20006, that has Happy Birthday on it coming to them days before their real birthday, having a telltale permit of PRSRT STD, U.S. Postage Paid, DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA Permit No 375. First of all, any official gov or city notice will be mailed first class, not presorted standard which is a bulk mail less than first class piece, and next, any official document from government or city will have a permit to that government or city’s return address location, not one in ANOTHER state, third of all I have seen some scammers so brazen in their confidence the average public does not know this about permits, that they will use the SAME permit # for various scams which identifies who they are. This has always amazed me that the post office does not simply shut down the permit holder, so what is going on I do not know. But I can say even though the mail piece is just a photograph in my account on the way to be delivered to me today, I have enough to post a scam alert. Please do not lose your judgment because this scammer has correctly told you Happy Birthday, and has on the outside an official looking notification number and pin number. The positive mark of a scam is the tell tale permit number shown, which has to be a genuine permit number for these pieces to have been mailed, which is what stumps me as the Daytona Beach, Florida post office that has issued this permit needs to turn over the registered user to the Post Master investigation, for impersonating, presenting themselves as government of some kind, with whatever scam is inside, which I see by another poster here in bbb is some kind of vacation scam. I am including here a pdf of the image usps informed delivery emailed me, with my personal name/address I reacted out for privacy purposes.
