Post Office job scams are becoming increasingly popular online, and the last thing you want is to fall victim to one of them. It wouldn't be the end of the world, but it would be better if it just never happened in the first place.
In this article we'll be going over some of the most popular USPS scams that exist so that you know what to look for and what to avoid.
Why Are These Scams Becoming So Popular?
The obvious answer is because the Postal Service provides good paying jobs with lots of benefits.
USPS salaries posted on Indeed show that mail carriers & clerks make around $17/hr on average and mail handlers bring in about $16/hr...
And according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wages for postal service workers in general was $58,760 (latest update: May 2018).
The pay is pretty good, and couple this with the fact that USPS workers get a handful of benefits...
- Health insurance
- Dental and vision insurance
- Flexible spending accounts
- Long-term care insurance
- Retirement pension
- Social security and Medicare
- Life insurance
- and more..
... and don't need any sort of college degree to apply.
This is the type of job that a lot of Americans would love to have.
The fact that the job is highly sought after is the reason for the scams. Scammers will take advantage of any opportunity they can exploit, and unfortunately government job scams like this are very popular right now.
Common USPS Hiring Scams
These scams usually appear to be very professionally run, at least at first. They seem to be the real deal and you may even be led to think that they are official USPS job sites.
Take for example Postal Jobs Source which is found at postaljobssourcerc.com and various other websites. This site opens with "The Postal Services is now hiring!" and appears to be some sort of website that you can apply through (but it's not)...
And then there is US Postal Hiring found at mypostaljob.com, which also states that "The US Postal Service is Hiring" and provides details about entry level positions along with a way to "register" for a job...
Post Office Jobs Center found at postalcareercenter.com is a similar story...
And then there is Job-Postal.com, which we recently reviewed...
And the list goes on and on and on:
- Postal-Guide.com
- Post Office Jobs Center
- Post Office Hiring (postofficehiring.com)
These scams will continue to pop up. They aren't actually illegal, and we'll explain why next, so they will continue to take advantage of the opportunity that exists and prey on desperate individuals just looking to make an honest living.
*They come and go with the wind. The sites listed above may not exist at the time you are reading this.
Who Is Running the Scams?
As you can imagine, the people running these probably want to keep their identities hidden because they realize that people will be upset with what's going on... and so there is almost never any good information provided.
In a recent review of the Job-Postal scam that we conducted, we found that the business was being run out of a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom house (according to the address listed)... and no information is given on the people who are running it.
Most of them are probably a 1-man operation being run out of some guy's mom's basement.
How These Scams Work
They are not affiliated with the Postal Office at all (and they usually state this in their disclaimer), although they often appear to be.
Usually these scams will have something on the website where you can "apply", "register", or something along these lines... which will appear to be the first step in the process of actually getting a job with the USPS.
However, what happens most of the time is that job seekers are then pushed to purchase some sort of guide or "registration package", such as that shown here...
[from Postal Jobs Source]
This "registration package" includes a guide to getting hired by the USPS, sample questions & answers to the postal exams that all applicants must take, and so on.
Sounds good... and the information provided by these websites usually is accurate (with the exception of the misleading marketing material)... but what everyone needs to know is that there is NO need to actually purchase any of this.
*Note: The reason these scams are legal is because they do actually provide real information that may be helpful for getting hired... and they don't claim to be part of the Postal Service... although it may appear they are.
There Is No Need to Pay for a Service
If there is ever a job that requires you to pay in order to be considered for the position then there is a good chance it could be a scam.
We know that colleges require application fees, but normal jobs do not (and many people disagree with how colleges do this).
Anyone can go to the USPS's website, search for jobs, and apply for absolutely free.
But if you want additional help, to hopefully give yourself a leg-up on your competition, there are many good and free resources available.
Recommended FREE Resources
The first thing we'd recommend doing is taking a look at an overview of the job application process from USPS themselves, straight from the source. Then, if there is any confusion or you still have questions you can refer to the resources below.
- Hiring process forum on Indeed - Here people can ask questions and get answers from people who have went through the process already.
- PostalExam.com - Here you can find free resources as well as study materials for the postal exams that cost money. Of course you don't need to pay for anything, but if you are going to go that route then this is a good and reputable website to go through.
- You can even find some helpful information on the USPS reddit forum at times.
USPS Job Outlook
Is trying to get a job with USPS even worth your effort?
Of course the various scams out there make it sound like it's the greatest opportunity that exists, but what they say is often misleading. The scams misrepresent the job opportunity.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the USPS job outlook moving forward into 2028 isn't too great...
[Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics]
They project a decrease in USPS jobs overall... in ever occupational title there is. This ranges from -20% to -24%... pretty significant.
Now this isn't at all what you would expect when you see adds for the scammy postal job services that talk about how USPS is hiring thousands of workers every week.
Why the decrease in USPS jobs?
Well, there are many reasons.
Obviously electronic mail, aka email, has led to massive reductions in the amounts of paper mail being sent... but on the flip-side the amount of online orders and deliveries being made by services like USPS, FedEx, etc. has skyrocketed in recent years.
One big reason for recent drops in business, which will lead to further reduction of service and employment, is Amazon reducing its dependence on USPS delivery services, using more and more of their own planes, trucks, trains, and vans to move and deliver packages.
The Takeaway
The takeaway here is that you certainly do not need to pay for any sort of service to get a job with the USPS, and that the prospects of actually getting a job are not as good as the scammy websites lead people to believe.
It's unfortunate but true.
So always do your research. If something seems a little too good to be true or just strange for some reason, dig a little deeper. It's better to be safe than sorry.
Oh ya... and good job at recognizing a potential scam and doing the research, as you are right now.
Please leave any comments/questions below and we'll get back to you as soon as we can 🙂