Elizabeth, NJ
News
USPS: Undelivered Union Mail Dumped In Trash USPS: Undelivered Union Mail Dumped In Trash
USPS: Undelivered Union Mail Dumped In Trash Mail that had not been delivered was found in a recycling container in Union Saturday, police said.  In a release, Union police said the mail was found at a home on Elberson Court. An "abandoned" USPS vehicle was found nearby, police also said.  Police held the mail until it could be picked up by investigators from the United States Postal Service.  London Mulcahy, a spokeswoman for the USPS Office of the Inspector General, said the vehicle was not abandoned but had broken down and was later retrieved by USPS personnel.  But she did say Friday that the inspector genera…

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by Paul Milo
Fair Lawn-Glen Rock, NJ
Police & Fire
BEWARE: Residents Falling For Increasing IRS, Social Security Phone Scams, Glen Rock Police Say BEWARE: Residents Falling For Increasing IRS, Social Security Phone Scams, Glen Rock Police Say
Beware: Residents Falling For Increasing IRS, Social Security Phone Scams, Glen Rock Police Say At least two Glen Rock residents were conned into providing personal information to phone scammers – one of whom claimed to be from the IRS and two others who said they were Social Security agents who’d found a car registered to him at the Mexican border carrying 22 pounds of cocaine. The purported agents told a 93-year-old borough man that documents that indicated it was his car were found in the abandoned vehicle, Police Chief Glen Ackermann said. They also claimed that there was a warrant issued for his arrest and that he needed to confirm personal identification – which he unfortunately…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Elizabeth, NJ
Police & Fire
Union Man Pleads Guilty In Scheme To Swipe Credit Cards From The Mail Union Man Pleads Guilty In Scheme To Swipe Credit Cards From The Mail
Union Man Pleads Guilty In Scheme To Swipe Credit Cards From The Mail A 22-year-old man from Union became the latest suspect to admit his role in a scheme to bribe postal workers in exchange for credit cards being sent in the mail to customers, the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey said Monday.  Olagoke Araromi pleaded guilty to charges of bribery, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Araromi, who is scheduled to be sentenced in September, faces up to 15 years for the bribery charge, 30 years for the fraud charge and two years for identity theft, in addition to fines.  Araromi and Moussa Dagno, 24, of Harrison bribed the postal employees for the car…

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by Paul Milo
Fairfield, CT
Lifestyle
Alert Issued For IRS 'Spoofing' Scam Alert Issued For IRS 'Spoofing' Scam
Alert Issued For IRS 'Spoofing' Scam It's tax time and with it comes a new warning that there's a twist to the usual IRS impersonation phone scam. Criminals are faking calls from the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS), an independent organization within the Internal Revenue Service, the IRS said in the warning issued Friday, March 30. Similar to other IRS impersonation scams, the scammer makes unsolicited calls to the victim, falsely claiming to be from the IRS. But in the new wrinkle, the con artists have found a way to "spoof" the phone number of the TAS office in New York or Houston. The scammers then request personal inf…

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by Daily Voice
Pelham, NY
News
Scam Alert Issued For Websites That Try To Get You To Change Your Address Scam Alert Issued For Websites That Try To Get You To Change Your Address
Scam Alert Issued For Websites That Try To Get You To Change Your Address The United States Postal Service is investigating a new scam involving a website that charges residents to change their address. According to the USPS, they processed upwards of 40 million address changes annually in recent years, though Postal Inspectors have found that some customers paid for an address change on websites with domain names that are not associated with the Postal Service. Investigators said that the sites charge customers up to $40 to change an address, and in some cases, the change never gets officially made. The Postal Service has no affiliation with the businesses that …

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by Zak Failla
Fairfield, CT
News
Ex-Mayor In CT Sentenced For Stealing Nearly $1M From Employer, Brother Ex-Mayor In CT Sentenced For Stealing Nearly $1M From Employer, Brother
Ex-Mayor In CT Sentenced For Stealing Nearly $1M From Employer, Brother A former mayor in Connecticut is trading city hall for a prison cell after stealing from his employer, then attempting to double down by stealing from his brother to cover up his thievery. Stephon Gionfriddo, 68, the former mayor of Middletown, has been sentenced to 46 months in prison after admitting to embezzling more than $500,000 from his former employer and proceeding to steal approximately $400,000 from his brother to pay that back. He will also serve three years of supervised release. Gionfriddo was hired as a paralegal by a law firm in Rocky Hill in August 2013. Beginning in De…

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by Zak Failla
Armonk, NY
News
Retail Mail Services Suspended In North Salem When Car Strikes Building Retail Mail Services Suspended In North Salem When Car Strikes Building
Retail Mail Services Suspended In North Salem When Car Strikes Building Mail services at the North Salem Post Office have been temporarily suspended after a motorist drove into the building, causing extensive damage. The United States Postal Service issued an alert on Friday, Feb. 15, warning that “in the interest of public and employee safety,” retail customer service operations are temporarily suspended at the North Salem Post Office on June Road. Officials said that a vehicle ran into an exterior wall near the lobby door of the 2,970-square-foot facility. Police said that there were no injuries reported, no mail was damaged, though the structure suffered dam…

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by Zak Failla
Norwalk, CT
Business
USPS Announces Largest Increase In Price Of A Stamp In Nearly Three Decades USPS Announces Largest Increase In Price Of A Stamp In Nearly Three Decades
USPS Announces Largest Increase In Price Of A Stamp In Nearly Three Decades The United States Postal Service has officially announced what will be the largest cost hike for stamps since 1991. This pricing increase affects “forever” stamps, which will now cost 55 cents, making for a five-cent up-charge. This cost hike was initially proposed last October and approved in November. USPS reported a net loss of $3.9 billion during the 2018 fiscal year, and the new rates are intended to keep the service “competitive.” "The Governors believe these new rates will keep the Postal Service competitive while providing the agency with needed revenue," wrote USPS in a statement…

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by Valerie Musson
Harrison, NY
News
Stolen Mail Can Lead To ID Theft, Westchester DA Warns Stolen Mail Can Lead To ID Theft, Westchester DA Warns
Stolen Mail Can Lead To ID Theft, Westchester DA Warns In the wake of several instances involving stolen mail in the area, officials in Westchester are offering advice to residents to avoid becoming the victim of opportunistic fraudsters.  Last year, police in Yonkers, Mount Vernon, White Plains, Tarrytown, Harrison, Purchase, Bronxville, New Rochelle, North Castle and other communities investigated incidents involving mail thefts. The incidents include curbside mailboxes that were broken into or opened with stolen keys or outright stolen. Thieves have also used “fishing” techniques to take mail from mailboxes, and “rural-style” mailboxes …

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by Zak Failla
White Plains, NY
News
Beware Of New USPS Email Scam, Westchester DA Says Beware Of New USPS Email Scam, Westchester DA Says
Beware Of New USPS Email Scam, Westchester DA Says Officials in Westchester are cautioning local residents to be wary, as a new round of email scams representing the United State Postal Service has been making the rounds. The USPS issued an alert this week regarding a new email scam, which appears to be sent from members of the organization, and is instead being used by fraudsters. In the email, it will appear to be sent by USPS, but the actual email domain will be a personal account with a link to a potentially dangerous website. Some USPS users have reported receiving several such emails in the days leading up to Christmas. “Email Scam A…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfield, CT
News
Two Charged With Cashing Over $60,000 In Stolen Postal Money Orders Two Charged With Cashing Over $60,000 In Stolen Postal Money Orders
Two Charged With Cashing Over $60,000 In Stolen Postal Money Orders A former United States Postal Service employee and a co-conspirator are facing prison time after allegedly stealing more than $60,000 in postal money orders in Connecticut. John Durham, the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that former USPS employee Michelle Barbeau, of Brooklyn, and James Lebel were arrested this week for offenses related to the theft of the money orders. The indictment charges that while employed at the Wauregan Post Office in Plainfield, between April and September last year, the two conspired to take blank U.S. Postal money orders from th…

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by Zak Failla
Ridgewood, NJ
Lifestyle
1 Million Miles, 30 Years And Still No Accidents For These North Jersey Mail Carriers 1 Million Miles, 30 Years And Still No Accidents For These North Jersey Mail Carriers
1 Million Miles, 30 Years And Still No Accidents For These North Jersey Mail Carriers One million miles. Three decades. Zero preventable accidents for nearly a dozen North Jersey mail carriers. To put it in perspective, you would have to travel around the earth 40.1 times to that distance. Six Hackensack letter carriers -- among nearly a dozen from the area -- achieved just that making them recipients of the National Safety Council’s Million Mile Award: Yvette Legette  Michael Manzo  Frank Heaney Antonio Centron Sheila Young Bryant McFadden Al Tariq Franklin (postmaster) Other North Jersey carriers being honored include: Arthur Andreano – Safety Manager, USPS Northern NJ…

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by Cecilia Levine