CHICAGO — Federal agents in Chicago intercepted nearly 162,000 counterfeit U.S. Postal Service “forever” stamps shipped to the United States from China, officials said Thursday.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the Chicago International Mail Branch seized eight shipments containing a total of 161,860 fake stamps, the agency said. If the stamps were genuine, they’d have a face value of $118,000.
According to CBP’s statement, the agency has seen “a real uptick” in counterfeit postage stamp shipments, particularly around holidays—like Valentine’s Day—when greeting cards are commonly mailed.
“While the print quality of the seized postage was poor, the counterfeit quality is improving, and the average consumer may not notice a difference from an authentic stamp,” the statement continued.
Customs agents routinely inspect international shipments arriving in the U.S. to intercept narcotics, weapons, cash, counterfeit merchandise, and prohibited agricultural products.
The agency did not announce any arrests linked to the counterfeit stamp operation.
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