CBP Seizes 161,860 Counterfeit USPS Forever Stamps In Chicago

U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Thursday announced the recent seizure of 161,860 counterfeit U.S. Forever stamps in Chicago.

CBP officers assigned to the Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement Team at the Chicago International Mail Branch last weekend found the counterfeit U.S. Postal Service postage stamps in parcels arriving from China, and if genuine, they would have been worth more than $118,000.

The print quality on the counterfeit stamps was “poor,” according to CBP, but the counterfeit quality has been improving, and consumers may not be able to tell the difference between a counterfeit and an authentic stamp. Real USPS postage stamps are produced at the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

According to CBP, the agency has seen a “real uptick” in counterfeit USPS stamps, “especially around the holidays,” particularly holidays that see a high volume of cards sent, such as Valentine’s Day.

“Counterfeiters only care about making a profit. They dont care about the effect that fake postage has on your ability to send important mail and overall impacts the U.S. economy,” LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director, Field Operations-Chicago, said in a statement. “Our officers and specialists are some of the most highly trained in the nation, and their level of expertise is evident with these seizures. CBP officers were able to identify these very realistic counterfeits and stop them from reaching their destinations.”

CBP seized the counterfeit stamps for violating trademark laws.