Front Cover - USPS

Front Cover

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Contents

COVER STORY

National Consumer Protection Week: Veterans Speak Out Against Vet-related Scams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

POLICIES, PROCEDURES, AND FORMS UPDATES

Manuals DMM Clarification: Bound Printed Matter Nonautomation

Flats Weight Limit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 DMM Revision: Shutdown of USPS Meter Label Solution

Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 DMM Revision: Combining USPS Marketing Mail Flats,

Bound Printed Matter Flats, and Periodicals Flats . . . . . . . 6 DMM Revision: Postage Evidencing Systems Placement

of Postage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 IMM Revision: Shutdown of USPS Meter Label Solution

Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

ORGANIZATION INFORMATION

Address Management Post Office Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Domestic Mail Labeling List Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Information Security Smart Scammers: Watch Out for These Phishing Trends . . . 34

Stamp Services Update: Stamp Announcement 18-08: Bioluminescent

Life Stamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Stamp Announcement 18-10: Mister Rogers Stamp . . . . . . 36 Pictorial Postmarks Announcement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Digital Color or

Traditional Postmarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

PULL-OUT INFORMATION

Fraud Invalid USPS Corporate Account Numbers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Missing, Lost, or Stolen U.S. Money Order Forms . . . . . . . . 14 Missing, Lost, or Stolen Canadian Money Order Forms . . . . 20 Verifying U.S. Postal Service Money Orders . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Counterfeit Canadian Money Order Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Toll-Free Number Available to Verify Canadian

Money Orders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Other Information Overseas Military/Diplomatic Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Thrift Savings Plan Fact Sheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Freely Associated States Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

POSTAL BULLETIN 2017 ANNUAL INDEX

2017 Annual Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PB 22484 (1-4-18)

Find the latest in mail and delivery information and services offered by U.S. Postal?

in the Postal Bulletin at

about.postal-bulletin

Cover Story

postal bulletin 22487 (2-15-18) 3

Cover Story

National Consumer Protection Week: Veterans Speak Out Against Vet-related Scams

The survey also explored how veteran scam victims differ from the general public. For instance, veteran scam victims say they are more likely to:

Trust a person who has previously served in the military.

Donate to charities that support service members and veterans.

Have had a "negative life event," such as a serious injury or illness, mental health or addiction issues, or financial issues (i.e., accumulating a significant amount of debt).

The U.S. Postal Service? is the nation's largest employer of veterans. Postal inspectors are warning Postal ServiceTM employees who have served in the military to watch out for the following veteran scams:

The benefits buyout offer. Scammers take advantage of veterans in need by offering a quick upfront buyout, usually at a fraction of the value, of future disability or pension payments.

This year, National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) runs from March 4?10, 2018, and the focus is on veterans. The United States Postal Inspection Service? and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Fraud Watch Network have jointly launched Operation Protect Veterans -- a national campaign to warn those who have served in the military about scams and fraud schemes that target veterans.

A new survey conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC), a research organization at the University of Chicago, shows that veterans are frequently targeted by scam artists and victimized twice as often as the rest of the public.1 The goal of Operation Protect Veterans is to leverage the combined reach and communications capabilities of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the AARP Fraud Watch Network to help veterans avoid losing money to con artists.

According to the NORC survey, 16 percent of U.S. veterans have lost money to fraudsters compared to 8 percent of nonveterans. Veterans also report that they were targeted by a large number of scams directly related to their military service or the veterans' benefits they receive. Eighty percent of the veterans surveyed said they have encountered veteran-specific scams.

The fake charitable giving request. Scammers make fraudulent claims about charitable giving that benefits veterans or wounded service members.

Fraudulent records offer. Scammers try to charge veterans a fee to access military records or government forms. This information is available for free through local U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offices.

A VA phishing scam. Scammers, who claim to work for the VA, call veterans to "phish" for Social Security numbers and personal financial information.

The bogus employment scam. Scammers post fake job descriptions to collect personal information from a veteran's job application or charge an employment fee.

Operation Protect Veterans will use the following tools to raise scam awareness among veterans and their families:

Advertising,

Social media and email messages,

Brochures and mass mailings, and

A new website hosted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service's partner, AARP.

1. Data sourced from AARP: research/topics/economics/info-2017/military-vet-consumer-fraud.html.

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Cover Story

A major component of the campaign also includes printed materials that the campaign will distribute to many of the Postal Service's 37,000 offices.

"The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed to protecting veterans from scammers who prey upon them," said Chief Postal Inspector Guy Cottrell. "Scam artists specifically target vets by using false claims of military service brotherhood. Patriotism among vets can be a powerful window into their hearts and wallets. We are working hard to inform Postal Service employees about scam artists who tailor their pitches towards former and active service members."

For more information about scams targeting veterans, we encourage Postal Service employees and their families to use the following resources:

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service website: postalinspectors..

AARP volunteers trained in fraud counseling at the free helpline: 877-908-3360.

The AARP website: action.site/SPageNavigator/FWN_OperationProtectVeterans.html.

-- Criminal Investigations Group, Postal Inspection Service, 2-15-18

Policies, Procedures, and Forms Updates

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Policies, Procedures, and Forms Updates

Manuals

DMM Clarification: Bound Printed Matter Nonautomation Flats Weight Limit

Effective March 5, 2018, the Postal ServiceTM will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM?), section 201.5.3b, to clarify the weight of a Bound Printed Matter (BPM) nonautomation flat-sized piece.

200 Commercial Mail Letters, Cards, Flats, and Parcels

201 Physical Standards

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As a result of the new standards for combining USPS Marketing Mail? flats, BPM flats, and Periodicals flats in

5.0

Physical Standards for Nonautomation Flats

DMM 705.15, section 201.5.3b was inadvertently changed

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to read 20 ounces. We will revise section 201.5.3b to reflect

5.3

Bound Printed Matter

the original 15 pound weight limit for nonautomation flat-

sized pieces.

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Although we will not publish this revision in the DMM until March 5, 2018, the standard is effective immediately.

Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)

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[Revise the text of item b. to read as follows:]

b. Bound Printed Matter may not weigh more than 15 pounds (except under 705.15.0).

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We will incorporate this revision into the next online update of the DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer?

at pe..

-- Product Classification, Marketing, 2-15-18

DMM Revision: Shutdown of USPS Meter Label Solution Application

Effective March 5, 2018, the Postal ServiceTM will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM?), section 705.18.5.7, to remove the USPS? meter label solution application option.

The Postal Service has notified business customers that as of March 31, 2018, the USPS meter label solution application option (formerly Click-N-Ship for Business?) will no longer be available. We will revise DMM section 705.18.5.7 to remove the USPS meter label solution option for creating labels. You can find other applications and postage option information on the "Postage Options" page at .

Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)

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700 Special Standards

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705 Advanced Preparation and Special Postage Payment Systems

18.0 Priority Mail Express Open and Distribute and Priority Mail Open and Distribute

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18.5 Preparation

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18.5.7 Address Label Service Barcode Requirement

[Revise the sixth and seventh sentences in the introductory text of 18.5.7 to read as follows:]

***USPS certification is required from the National Customer Support Center (NCSC) for each printer used to print barcoded open and distribute address labels, except for barcodes created using USPS webtools. NCSC contact information, formatting specifications for barcodes and electronic files, and certification are included in Publication 199, which is available on PostalPro at postalpro..***

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