USPS Honors Mail Boxes Etc. for Combating Mail Fraud

Business Wire, Nov 13, 2003

Business Editors

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 13, 2003

Mail Boxes Etc., Inc. (MBE), the world's largest franchisor of retail shipping, postal and business services and franchisor of The UPS Store, was recently recognized by law enforcement for its assistance in helping stop an international mail-forwarding fraud scam.

The United States Postal Inspection Service honored the franchisor's contributions in fighting a computer scam involving hundreds of manufacturers, retailers, Web sites, commercial mail receiving agencies (CMRAs) and stolen credit cards. Alan Doud, MBE's public affairs supervisor, accepted the award at a ceremony.

Veteran U.S. Postal Inspector Barry Mew recommended Doud for the award because of his diligence in keeping the MBE franchise network informed of the scam and by acting as a conduit between the USPS and the individual centers that were affected by the scam.

"Mail Boxes Etc.'s participation was key in helping us generate leads and returning stolen merchandise to victimized merchants," said Mew. "We could not have tracked down these criminals without the involvement of MBE and Mr. Doud."

"MBE has a long history of working with law enforcement agencies to ensure the legal use of mail services as well as assisting in the identification and elimination of illegal activity," said Stuart Mathis, president of MBE/The UPS Store. "We will continue to be diligent in weeding out fraudulent box holders for the sake of our customers and the public."

Mail Boxes Etc., a UPS company, franchises The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. retail locations. The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. locations together comprise the world's largest franchise network of retail shipping, postal and business service centers, with more than 4,500 locations around the world. In the United States, The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. locations are independently owned and operated by licensed franchisees of Mail Boxes Etc., Inc. Outside the United States, locations are owned and operated by MBE master licensees or their franchisees. For additional information, please visit www.theupsstore.com or www.mbe.com.