Avoiding Charges of Unlawful Postage Meter Tampering and Abuse

Avoiding Charges of Unlawful Postage Meter Tampering and Abuse

Postage meters are super handy tools that lots of businesses use to print postage directly onto envelopes or packages. This saves trips to the post office and makes mailing things fast and convenient. However, postage meters can also be misused or tampered with, which is against the law. In this article, we’ll go over what kinds of postage meter fraud exist and how you can avoid accidentally committing postal crimes.

What is Postage Meter Fraud?

Postage meter fraud basically means getting free postage from your meter that you didn’t pay for. This could happen in a couple ways:

• Tampering with the meter physically so it doesn’t deduct postage funds when you print labels
• Using software to hack the meter and add free postage funds
• Continuing to use a meter after your postage account funds run out

It’s a federal crime to misuse a postage meter to avoid paying for postage under USPS regulations. You could face fines of up to $10,000 per incident and even jail time.

Accidental Postage Meter Mistakes

While outright fraud requires intent, you could also accidentally commit postage meter violations if you’re not careful. Here are some common examples:

• Forgetting to update your meter after a rate increase goes into effect. You might print labels with outdated lower rates.
• Continuing to use your meter after your prepaid account runs out of funds. The meter won’t know you have $0 left.
• Not getting your meter inspected annually. Meters have to be recertified each year.
• Letting an unauthorized person use your meter to print postage.

While these situations are usually honest mistakes, the USPS or postal inspectors could still consider it misuse of a meter. You’d be on the hook for paying the correct postage.

How to Prevent Postage Meter Problems

The good news is there are some simple things you can do to avoid any postage meter issues:

1. Carefully track your meter account balance and add more funds before it gets too low.
2. Update your meter settings right away whenever postal rates change.
3. Get your meter inspected annually by the manufacturer.
4. Only let authorized people access and use the postage meter.
5. If you suspect tampering, contact the manufacturer and postal inspectors.
6. If you sell your business, notify the manufacturer to deactivate the meter.

It’s also smart to have clear policies so employees know the proper postage meter protocols. Make sure everyone is trained on how to use the meter correctly.

How Postal Inspectors Detect Meter Fraud

Postal inspectors have methods to identify and investigate suspicious postage meters:

• They monitor large volumes of mail coming from a certain meter number.
• They look for inconsistencies like dated postage rates or invalid ZIP codes.
• They check for missing or altered meter impressions.
• They make sure meters are inspected and re-certified annually.
• They follow up on tampering reports from manufacturers.

Inspectors can seize a meter for further inspection. They also do audits to check for mismatches between meter impressions and paid postage.

Penalties for Postage Meter Violations

If you’re found guilty of postage meter tampering or abuse, here are some potential consequences:

• You’ll need to pay back the correct postage plus interest and fees.
• You could get hit with civil fines up to $10,000 per incident.
• Your meter license can be revoked.
• For large-scale or intentional fraud, you could face federal criminal charges.
• The maximum prison sentence is 3 years per offense.

It’s just not worth the risk. Always follow the rules and double check your meter is being used properly.

What To Do If You’re Investigated

If a postal inspector shows up asking about your meter, don’t panic. Here’s what to do:

1. Be polite and cooperate fully with the investigation.
2. Ask for identification and get the inspector’s contact information.
3. Don’t answer questions without your lawyer present.
4. Consult a criminal defense attorney experienced with postal cases.
5. Your lawyer can negotiate on your behalf or defend you if charges are filed.

Honest mistakes happen, but penalties are severe for intentional fraud. The best protection is staying vigilant about proper postage meter use.