OPERATION IDENTITY CRISIS

Making the mail even safer

Identity thieves ripped off consumers for $5 billion last year, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Banks and businesses lost even more.

To combat this growing crime, the Postal Inspection Service has launched “Operation Identity Crisis” — a consumer education campaign to prevent citizens from being victims of identity theft.

Joining the Inspection Service in this initiative are the FTC, the Secret Service, the Department of Justice and various financial organizations.

Identity theft involves acquiring key pieces of someone’s personal identifying information, such as name, address, date of birth, and Social Security number. Identity thieves use the information to commit fraud such as applying for loans, credit cards, and Social Security benefits.

TV actor and Law and Order star Jerry Orbach, himself a victim of identity theft, is the campaign’s spokesperson. He will appear in a nationally distributed public service announcement about preventing identity theft. The campaign also includes posters in all 38,000 Post Office™ lobbies, numerous banks, and other financial institutions throughout the country.

Here are some tips on preventing identity theft:

• Don’t leave mail in your mailbox overnight or on weekends.
• Deposit your mail in Postal Service collection boxes.
• Tear up or shred unwanted documents that contain your personal information.
• Review your consumer credit report annually.

Need more information? Go to www.usps.com/postalinspectors.

STOP FAMILY VIOLENCE SEMIPOSTAL STAMP

The Postal Service™ issued a 45-cent semipostal First-Class Mail® stamp, Stop Family Violence.

The stamp, designed by Carl T. Herrman, Carlsbad, California, went on sale nationwide October 8, 2003.

Each Stop Family Violence semipostal stamp will sell for 45 cents and will be valid for postage at the First-Class Mail rate (the first-ounce rate) in effect at the time of purchase. The net proceeds from the surcharge will be transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services in accordance with the provisions of the Stamp Out Domestic Violence Act of 2001, which the Congress passed and President signed into law on November 12, 2001.

This semipostal will allow every American to contribute to a nationwide fight against domestic violence. Proceeds from the sale of this stamp will be used to help agencies across the country provide shelters for women in need, individual and group counseling, legal assistance, court and social service advocacy, emergency transportation, urgently needed food and clothing, and prevention programs.

Family violence is a national concern. Its effects are felt regardless of age, race, or economic status. For this semipostal stamp, art director Carl T. Herrman selected artwork by a young girl that expresses the pain and sadness caused by domestic violence. Her work was photographed by Philip Channing, Santa Barbara, California.

DELIVER ME HOME

USPS announces new program to help find missing children

A new joint effort is underway to locate America’s missing children. It’s called the Deliver Me Home Network — USPS, the Inspection Service and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) are combining resources and coordinating efforts to find America’s missing children quickly and return them safely home.

Here’s how it works: once a NCMEC “Team Adam” representative receives a law enforcement request about a missing child, fliers containing critical identifying information are printed and disseminated by USPS in the local area. The fliers are displayed at local Post Offices and letter carriers deliver them to mailboxes in a targeted ZIP Code.

The national program got its start last week in Northport, AL, when letter carriers delivered more than 16,000 fliers to help search for an 11-year-old girl, who has been missing since August.

PMG TO FORUM:

Let’s work together to make Postal Service better

Postmaster General Jack Potter stressed that the USPS and mailers need to work together to move the Postal Service forward in the 21st century.

“This is not Jack Potter’s Postal Service,” said the PMG. “This is yours — our mailers’ and our customers’ Postal Service,” Potter told delegates at this year’s National Postal Forum in Kansas City, MO.

Potter said USPS’s efforts at improving service and cutting costs paid off during Fiscal Year 2003 which ended. Service for overnight First-Class Mail, as measured by External First-Class Mail Measurement System (EXFC), has hit a record-breaking 95 percent for the past two quarters, said Potter. He told attendees USPS is $1.2 billion under budget in non-personnel costs.

On postal reform, he praised the entire mailing industry for supporting the effort that led to Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) reform legislation. The legislative change will save the Postal Service billions that otherwise would’ve resulted in overpayment into the CSRS.

And the PMG noted the extensive work of the Presidential Commission on the Postal Service and its recommendations to the president on postal reform. “We must have legislative change,” Potter said.

Revenue growth is the key to a financially sound Postal Service, said Potter. The PMG said USPS is working hard to give mailers different options for using the Postal Service. He mentioned the recent negotiated service agreement with Capital One and products such as Customized MarketMail and Repositionable Notes — which allow mailers to attract customer attention through innovative mailpiece design.

Potter said these developments came about by working together. A successful mailing industry depends on a successful Postal Service. “We all must work together to make it better,” said the PMG.