Stay Alert: Fake Stamps Are Scams

First-class postage stamps have risen in price by 42% since 2020, so it can be tempting to buy discounted stamps advertised online for 20 cents each instead of 78 cents. This may be especially enticing for real estate professionals who mail advertisements to consumers. 

This deal, often advertised on Facebook, sounds too good to be true, because it is. 

Almost every time, these stamps are counterfeits. In the first quarter of 2025’s fiscal year, 4.4 million fake stamps were seized by U.S. law enforcement, and it’s estimated that the postal service loses $1 billion annually on counterfeit stamps. 

This flood of counterfeit stamps is hitting USPS hard during a time when it’s already struggling, according to Marjan Barrigan-Husted, an agent with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, who says, “We still have to make up that revenue, so it’s because of the problem that the cost has risen.”  

It is illegal under U.S. federal law to use, sell or possess counterfeit postage stamps, and mail sent with counterfeit stamps may be delayed, returned or destroyed. To buy legitimate stamps online, use approved vendors like USPS.com, Stamps.com or major retailers like Amazon and Costco.