While online retailers have made shopping more convenient than ever, one customer says they have also opened the doors to a counterfeit postage scam that can end with you paying more than you thought to get your packages.
Content creator Alley (@alleyvanetten1) said she was recently the victim of a counterfeit postage scam, and she shared her experience in a TikTok that has now been viewed 185,700 times.
“Have you had a package get delivered to you that says ‘counterfeit postage’ on it?” she asked. “Because I got one of those little things in the mail from the post office that says that I owe money on a package.”
She said when she arrived at the post office to pick the package up, the post office worker explained exactly how these counterfeit scams work.
“He said that these big companies that are like overseas, especially through TikTok and stuff, are sending basically, like, giant shipping containers full of their items to somebody’s backyard, and then somebody is packaging up these and making fake labels with fake tracking numbers on them, and sending them out, so they don’t pay any postage,” Alley said.
“So basically, this company just saved like $12 by not paying any postage, and I had to pay for it instead,” she continued. According to the Alley, the worker said “over 200 packages a day” are sent with counterfeit postage.
However, the TikToker said there’s hope of getting your money back if a company tries to pull this scam on you.
“The guy told me to keep my receipt, take a picture of my receipt, like, next to the package, and send it to the company that sent me this package and say, ‘I want you guys to refund me $12.55 for the shipping that I had to pay,'” Alley continued. “And if they refuse to pay it, he said you can go to your bank and dispute it or whatever. And he said make sure to try to take a picture of the package before it’s opened with the receipt next to it.”
As viewers shared similar experiences in the comments section, it became clear that this problem was a lot bigger than just one person.
“Happened to me with Shein,” one customer claimed. “Amazon too,” another added. “The shipping scam also occurs with Fed Ex and UPS,” a third added. “I don’t know how they go about recouping costs but it’s becoming common.”
Alley didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok comment.