An Overview of International Cyber-Security Awareness Raising and Educational Initiatives (2011)

Campaign Name:

United States Postal Inspection Service

Organisation:

United States Postal Inspection Service

Main URL:

https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/

Dates:

Organization established in 1737, but it unclear when the responsibilities of the organization expanded to cover fraud that occurs on the Internet (b)

Costs:

Not found

Topics covered:

– Employment Fraud (franchise fraud, phony job opportunities, pyramid schemes, short – paid postage, postal job scams, work at home schemes, mystery shopper scam)

– Financial Fraud (900 telephone number scheme, advance-free loan scheme, charity fraud, credit card fraud, schemes that ask you to pay for free government services, cut – rate health insurance fraud, investment fraud, solicitations disguised as invoices, oil and gas investment fraud, oil fraud)

– Fraud Against Older Americans (fraud against older people, sweepstakes advice for the elderly)

– Sweepstakes and Lottery Fraud (illegal sweepstakes information, chain letters, free prize scheme, foreign lotteries by mail, government look alike mail, free vacation scams)

– Telemarketing Fraud (rules for telephone solicitations, characteristics of telemarketing fraud)

– Mail Fraud (home improvement and home repair fraud, phony inheritance scam, receipt of unsolicited merchandise, prison pen pan money order scam, fraudulent health and medical products, removing your name from national contact list) (3)

Target Audience:

– Elderly

– Parents

– Adults

– United States citizens (1)

Methodology:

– Literature online

– Complaint line through website

Evaluation:

Not found

Sources:

1. ‘Home Page’ United States Postal Inspection Service <https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/> (accessed 20 May 2010).

2. ‘History’ United States Postal Inspection Service <https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/aboutus/ History.aspx> (accessed 20 May 2010).

3. ‘Mail Fraud Schemes’ United States Postal Inspection Service <https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/investigations/MailFraud/fraudschemes/FraudSchemes.aspx> (accessed 20 May 2010).