USPS Warns of AI-Powered Scams
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is warning that criminals are using AI to make traditional scams appear more realistic. The alert, issued for National Consumer Protection Week, highlights how AI can enhance the believability of cons and tricks targeting postal customers.
Criminals are weaponizing the same AI tools that have captured public attention, using them to enhance classic postal scams with a new layer of believability. These are not new frauds, but old schemes like investment, romance, and prize scams, now supercharged with AI-generated photos, voice clones, and deepfake videos to appear more legitimate than ever before. Mail fraud has a long history in the U.S., with the first federal law against it, the Mail Fraud Act, enacted in 1872. Early schemes included the "Green Goods" scam, which promised counterfeit money but delivered sawdust, and various work-at-home scams that sold low-quality products. These cons relied on the mail to reach victims, a tactic that continues today, often to finalize a scam that began online. The latest evolution involves AI-powered "pig butchering" scams, where criminals build a long-term relationship with a victim, sometimes over months, before convincing them to invest in fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes. Scammers may use AI to manage multiple conversations at once and even use deepfake video calls to "prove" their fake identity, making the deception incredibly difficult to spot. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) warns of several red flags, such as a person's thin social media footprint, minor misspellings in website or email addresses, and pressure to move conversations to private messaging apps. The agency also cautions against sending money—especially via wire transfer, gift cards, or crypto—to anyone met only online. Even as criminals use AI, the USPIS is leveraging the same technology to fight back. The agency uses artificial intelligence to help identify suspects, monitor illicit websites for fraudulent activity, and better inform the public about emerging mail fraud threats. The USPS will never send unsolicited text messages or emails asking for money to release a package. Officials advise the public to be skeptical of any urgent request for money or personal information and to independently verify the identity of the person they are communicating with through a known phone number or in person. Consumers who believe they have been targeted by a mail-related scam are encouraged to report it to the Postal Inspection Service at uspis.gov/report. This helps the agency track scam trends and aids in their investigations to prevent others from becoming victims.
