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Comment by irrational | Hacker News Reader

Any thoughts as to why USPS et al. are apparently not pursuing this?

FedEx is a private company, only the USPS has actual law enforcement (fun fact: they're the oldest federal law enforcement!).

There are three reasons I can guess why at least the USPIS hasn't picked it up... they're overworked (and understaffed), the reports haven't made it past the gatekeepers (=been binned because it was too confusing), or there is an ongoing investigation that likely has been compromised now.

There will be a "cut-out" I'm naming them Steve, between the scam victims and the actual bad guys. So postal investigators can put hours of work in and tie back a bunch of cheques to Steve from Florida, and they go to Steve's house and Steve quickly admits that yeah, he sent the cheques. But Steve is getting paid $100 per week to send dozens of cheques, and Steve is so dumb his only contact "up the chain" is to somebody named "Bx$cash$$" on Telegram who told Steve it's a legitimate business venture. Steve is completely sure Bx$cash$$ is a 20-something woman from Utah, but the investigators aren't morons unlike Steve so they guess immediately that's a stock photo, and Bx$cash$$ has almost certainly never set foot on any soil with extradition to the US. Dead end.

Could they charge Steve with crimes? Yeah, and I guess if they're frustrated or Steve was obnoxious and unco-operative they will. But he's a dead end, there is no route to Bx$cash$$ whoever that might be, through Steve, and so long as America is a land of morons who dream of being billionaires there will be more Steves so why even bother?

Why would the USPS not simply block the letters, or go to Steve and tell him "stop sending illegal checks". Or add a letter to the outgoing letters saying "This letter almost certainly contains a counterfeit check. Don't cash it and then send on part of the money."

Even if you never arrest the people behind it, you can frustrate their efforts to the point where it is no longer effective for them.

The scammers just move on to a new Steve. It's whack a mole.

there are tons of government agencies who whack moles all day long. We don't give up inspecting food outlets for hygiene because another dodgy van will pop up tomorrow.

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