Madison Police Warn Of Post Office Service Scam

MADISON, NJ - With the holiday package season in full swing the Madison Police Department are putting residents on alert about a US Postal Service insurance fraud scam that is beginning to trend in the area.

According to the police the scam goes like this:

• Residents may receive a package with another person's name on it at their address.
• The mail will likely be a package containing blank index cards or another item with little to no value.
• Within a few days, a letter from the US Postal Service Domestic Claims Accounts Payable Branch will arrive. It will be addressed to the same unknown party, but again use the resident's address.
• The letter will contain instructions for processing a lost or damaged article claim, and reference an "Article Number" which will match the tracking number on the previously received package.

The US Postal Inspector Service said that this is an insurance fraud scam they are familiar with, police said. The scammer will purchase insurance for a package with minimal value, then mail it to a random address with the intent of filing a false "lost article" claim. There will likely be several packages/envelopes received at once. Police are asking that residents contact Postal authorities if they receive such a package.

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