Counterfeit Postage Scams via Postal Mail
How fraudulent online sellers and schemes sell fake postage stamps and labels, costing recipients unexpected postage fees and exposing buyers to legal risk.
Part of: Counterfeit Postage Scams
Last reviewed: 8 June 2026
Counterfeit postage fraud operates at two levels. In the consumer-facing version, fake postage stamps or pre-paid labels are sold online at discount prices to individuals and small businesses — the buyers use them believing they are genuine, only to have their mail returned, delayed, or charged back for additional postage. In some cases, receiving businesses are charged shortfall fees for mail that arrives with counterfeit or insufficient postage.
In the fraud-enabling version, counterfeit postage labels are used by reshipping mule operations and fraud rings to ship stolen goods and fraudulent mailings at no legitimate cost, complicating law enforcement's ability to trace shipment origins.
Buyers of counterfeit postage face not only wasted money but potentially legal exposure, as using knowingly or unknowingly fraudulent postage constitutes mail fraud under postal laws.
How this scam works on postal mail
A consumer seeking discounted postage purchases stamps or prepaid labels from an online marketplace, auction site, or social media seller. The stamps appear genuine to the naked eye and may scan correctly initially. When the mail is processed by the postal service, the postage is identified as counterfeit or a duplicate of already-used valid postage.
Mail sent with counterfeit labels is returned to sender, returned to recipient with additional postage due charges, or simply delayed in processing. The seller of the stamps is typically untraceable. Complaints to the platform where the stamps were purchased produce limited outcomes.
In business contexts, organisations may discover they have used counterfeit postage only when a significant proportion of their outgoing mail is returned or when postal service investigators contact them.
Common red flags
- Postage stamps or pre-paid labels sold online at prices significantly below face value
- Seller offers stamps or labels in bulk quantities inconsistent with legitimate resale
- Stamps purchased online arrive with visual or texture inconsistencies compared to genuine postage
- Mail sent with purchased stamps is returned with 'postage due' notices
- Online marketplace seller has no feedback history or was recently registered
How to protect yourself
- Purchase postage exclusively from official postal service outlets, official postal service websites, or established authorised resellers
- Be sceptical of postage sold at significant discounts — genuine unused stamps retain their face value
- If you suspect you have purchased counterfeit stamps, stop using them and contact your national postal inspection service
- For business mailing, use a metered postage machine or official postage account rather than individual stamps
How to report it
- Report to the USPS Postal Inspection Service at postalinspectors.uspis.gov (US) or equivalent national postal authority
- Report the seller to the platform where the stamps were purchased
- File a complaint with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov if financial loss was incurred
Frequently asked questions
Can I get in trouble for unknowingly using counterfeit stamps?
While unknowing use of counterfeit postage is generally treated as a civil matter, it is important to stop using suspected counterfeit stamps immediately and report them to the postal inspection service rather than continuing to use them.