Postal Bulletin 22144 - December 23, 2004 - USPS.com

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8 POSTAL BULLETIN 22144 (12-23-04) What is the Postal Service Doing for National Consumer Protection Week? Postmasters and Facility Managers Postmasters and facility managers are encouraged to join in this annual consumer awareness effort by sponsoring or supporting local activities during NCPW, February 6–12, 2005. District Consumer Affairs and Claims Manager The district Consumer Affairs and Claims manager should serve as a consultant and resource for postmasters and managers planning NCPW activities. The district Consumer Affairs and Claims office also serves as the clearinghouse for additional information and materials. Getting Started Many of you are old hands at arranging local community events. Nevertheless, the following is a list of guidelines to keep in mind as you plan your program. Remember to use leverage — of time, people, and resources — to make your job easier and to increase your results. Start early. It takes time to put together a team, agree on a concept, implement plans, invite guests, publicize events, and coordinate the participation of others. The sooner you begin the more options you are likely to have. Create a planning committee to develop and coordinate your event or activities. Many hands not only make light work, they bring ideas and perspectives that can produce better results. Involve your local Postal Service team early in the planning process. Your local Postal Inspector is an expert on fraud prevention and can be a key participant in any event. The Area Public Affairs and Communications team can help with media outreach and publicity. Headquarters Government Relations representatives can help invite local elected officials to participate, and your district Consumer Affairs team can provide ideas and support. Join the crowd. After all, this is National Consumer Protection Week. Find out if other organizations or agencies are planning events and see if they would like Postal Service participation. Local media might even be planning special consumer segments. And public access channels might be thrilled to run the Inspection Service Work-at-Home Scams: They Just Don’t Pay! video as a public service. Realize that small is good, too. Perhaps flyers and a video in the office lobby are all you have time for. Finally, think about your audience. In your community, how do you reach the elderly, the unemployed, the underemployed, and others who are most vulnerable to the “make big money at home” pitch? Suggested Activities Listed below are suggested activities to highlight the week’s event: Have a NCPW kick-off and open house. Show the Work-at-Home Scams: They Just Don’t Pay! video produced by the Postal Inspection Service. All Post Offices will receive a VHS copy of this short film via a direct mailing similar to what occurred with the Dialing for Dollars investment fraud prevention tape in October. The VHS tapes will be mailed out in advance of NCPW. You can order a DVD version at 800-STAMP-24 (800-782-6724) or online at www.usps.compostalinspectors after February 6, 2005. Invite a local expert to speak. A local Postal Inspector would be perfect, but a representative from a consumer advocacy group or an appropriate regulatory body would also be good. Partner with other federal agencies, community groups, educational institutions, and businesses to sponsor educational workshops or seminars for consumers with special needs. Hold a joint press conference with another consumer agency and include a local Postal Inspector. The Postal Inspector can discuss work-at-home fraud both from a national and a community perspective. Work with a local Postal Inspector to inform senior citizens about work-at-home schemes. Hold seminars at local retirement communities. Postal Inspectors can discuss recent fraudulent schemes and steps to prevent older Americans from becoming victims. Provide your Postal Service employees with information about NCPW activities planned for your area. Set up a booth at a busy shopping area and distribute fact sheets about work-at-home fraud and other consumer information. Show the Work-at-Home Scams: They Just Don’t Pay! video.
POSTAL BULLETIN 22144 (12-23-04) And, while you are at it, let customers know about the other consumer services offered by the Postal Service, such as the new Internet hold, redelivery, and carrier pickup services, and ReadyPost ® products. Suggest customers visit www.usps.com. Event Planning Checklist When planning National Consumer Protection Week events, keep the following suggestions in mind: Begin planning early. Contact your local Postal Service team — Postal Inspectors, Public Affairs and Communications managers, Consumer Affairs and Claims managers, and Government Relations representatives — to see how they can help support and participate in the work-at-home fraud prevention events in your city. Set a date. Secure participants. Acquire posters, videos, fact sheets, brochures, and other supplies for the event. Prepare a special pictorial cancellation, if applicable. Secure staging and sound equipment, if applicable. Plan signage, including a podium, sign, and banners. Launch a local publicity campaign using the materials suggested in this article. Draft a sequence-of-events agenda and speaker remarks. Plan retail opportunities (i.e., booth, bag stuffers, etc.) Prepare ceremony programs and invitations. Postal Brochures Useful for National Consumer Protection Week The work-at-home information provided in this Postal Bulletin article, fraud-prevention publications and booklets, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service video are among your most important communication tools to educate the public about workat-home scams. Following is a list of Postal Service publications that may be useful as handouts for customers during NCPW. They also serve as good resource material for postmasters and managers when preparing for the week’s events. The publications are available in PDF format on the Postal Service PolicyNet Web site. Go to http://blue.usps.gov/cpim and click on PUBs. The publications are also available on the Internet at www.usps.com; click on About USPS & News, then Forms & Publications, then Postal Periodicals & Publications, and then Publications (either PDF Format or Text Format). Note: The sites contain several publications that are out of stock and cannot be ordered from the MDC. These include Publication 280, Identity Theft, Safeguard Your Personal Information; Publication 281-S, No Muerda el Anzuelo (Don’t Bite the Hook, fraud by phone and mail); and Publication 546, Sweepstakes Advertising. The Postal Inspection Service DVD titled Work-at-Home Scams: They Just Don’t Pay! will be available for individual customer orders starting Monday, February 7, 2005. The DVD can be ordered directly from the Stamp Fulfillment Center by calling 800-STAMPS-24 or online at www.usps.com/postalinspectors. Postmasters will receive a direct mailing of a VHS copy in advance of NCPW. You can also order these publications from the Material Distribution Center (MDC) by using touch tone order entry (TTOE): Call 800-332-0317, option 2. Note: You must be registered to use TTOE. To register, call 800-332-0317, option 1, extension 2925, and follow the prompts to leave a message. (Wait 48 hours after registering before placing your first order.) Use the following information to order these publications: Quick Min. Pick Unit of Order Bulk Edition Title PSIN PSN Number Measure Qty. Pack Price Date Consumer and Business Guide to Preventing Mail Fraud PUB 300-A 7610-04-000-6949 426 EA 25 300 $0.1938 07/99 7610-04-000-6950 N/A EA 1 300 $0.3964 07/99 Consumer and Business Guide to Preventing Mail Fraud (Spanish) PUB 300-A-S 9
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Postal Bulletin 22144 - December 23, 2004 - USPS.com

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