It is important to know how to spot and avoid scams in order to protect yourself and your family. Learn how to identify scams, tips for safe online shopping, and ways to avoid buyer/seller disagreements; as well as what to do when something goes wrong. Here is an excerpt from the presentation that gives an overview of the material covered : 

Types of scams : 

Phone and email scams - These scams are meant to create a sense of urgency or worry in order to get personal information or bank/credit card details. They can often be spotted by hovering (not clicking) on the URL or checking the sender's email address.

stamp specific scams - This includes advertisements for "too good to be true" (20 to 50 percent) discounts on U.S. stamps, mostly on websites such as Facebook and Etsy, Ebay, or Amazon, especially during the holiday season. These stamps are postal counterfeits that are created to defraud the postal service of revenue. They are NOT real postage stamps that are altered.  (please note that the USPS does not sell stamps at a discount, but it does work with some approved vendors to provide small discounts on stamps, listed here). 

mailing list scams -  another scam related to the APS, a member will recieve an email making an offer for them to purchase an updated version of an APS mailing list with information about our members. The APS does not give out emails in mailing lists. This is simply a scam, drawing upon a familiar and trusted organization’s name, and looking to get you to pay money for a service that they cannot provide. If you receive an email like this, or another purporting to be from the APS, please forward it on to us so we can address it, and if necessary warn other members.

Tips to avoid scams :

• Shop with professional stamp dealers or on a stamp marketplace (ex. Ebay, Hipstamp)
• Check privacy settings and be careful about information that you are sharing on social media (address, relationships, photos, contact information, etc.)
• Know the terms of the sale (refund policies, product description)
• Check your computer security and do not click suspicious links

For more information about these scams and tips on how to avoid them, click here to watch the presentation on C3a or go to https://stamps.org/learn/c3a-online-learning and click Enter C3a -> eCommerce (in the left sidebar menu) and scroll down until you find the presentation.