EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — Northumberland County Chief Detective Degg H. Stark is asking residents to be aware of the possibility of purchasing fraudulent Forever Stamps from unreputable online vendors.

The United States Postal Service sounded the alarm in August of 2022 about scam artists selling counterfeit stamps at discounted prices through websites and online marketplaces.

Stark says his office has received reports that individuals and municipalities in Northumberland County may have been victims of this scheme.

The USPS says the fake stamps are often sold in bulk at discounted prices, sometimes from 20-50 percent off, and this kind of “deal” is a tell-tale sign that they’re bogus.

The postal service recommends buying your stamps from approved postal providers. You can find one near you by visiting the Find USPS Locations link.

“Approved vendors can include legitimate “big box” or warehouse retailers who do provide very small discounts on postage stamps, but this is through resale agreements with the Postal Service,” the USPS wrote on their website.

USPS says if the deal is too good to be true, keep scrolling, they’re probably counterfeit.