Illinois, This Is What To Know About The Current Holiday Mail Scam

Would it really be the holidays if we didn't have a sketchy scam going around?

We all know we're spending a lot of money from now through Christmas. It's a really expensive time of the year. We're buying stuff online and in stores and our credit cards are getting a good workout. Not everyone in our lives are easy to buy for and for those folks, nothing is wrong with sending them money.

Besides the check-in-the-mail scam going around this year, there's another scam that you need to know about even if you're mailing out something as basic as Christmas cards.

Before You Mail Out Those Christmas Cards

If you've ever mailed out multiples of one thing, you know it can get pricey. Stuff like wedding invites, save-the-dates, or this time of year, those Christmas cards that you made your kids sit still long enough to pose for. There could be dozens or even hundreds of those you need to mail and besides buying the cards themselves, you also have to buy stamps for each of them.

So you find stamps at a discounted rate. Great, right? Wrong.

The USPS warns about a counterfeit stamps scam. Often these fake stamps are sold in bulk at about 20-50% off of their face value. USPS says that's the sign that they're fake.

You might run into these fake bulk stamps on social media marketplaces, third party sellers, or other places. If you use these stamps, it could put a hold or delay on whatever you're trying to mail.

If you're about to buy yourself some stamps to mail out stuff for the holidays, make sure the stamps come from an Approved Postal Providers outlet. You can get a book of stamps at Hy-Vee locations or at a USPS office.