🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <01bc7858$fa666140$d70b67cf@watty>,
watty <watty@voicenet.com> wrote:
>> > Worst case scenario:
>> > Buyer wants to buy a 21" monitor from seller for $1500
>> > Seller sends out 20 bricks in a monitor box.
>> > Buyer receives package, and it looks like a monitor.  Pays UPS guy
>> > a check for $1500.
>> > Buyer opens the box and finds out he's been duped.
>> > No way to get the check back.  Sender gets $1500 free.

Free, maybe- but traceably.
 
>From what I am told, within the United States, the Seller above has
>committed Postal Fraud, a Federal offense.

No- "Postal Fraud" aka "Mail Fraud" is only for cases involving the
official Federal postal service (USPS), not independent private carriers
such as UPS, FedEx, etc. 

So this would be plain old fraud, perhaps interstate (Federal offense)
perhaps not.

>COD also makes it difficult for the buyer to take advantage by giving a
>bad check. The Post Office makes
>the buyer fill out a number of forms to pay by check, rather than cash, and
>the buyer's check is written to the Postal Service, not the seller. The
>seller is then issued a check from the Post Office.

I do not believe that UPS will "stop" a COD payment on allegations of fraud
by the recipient- perhaps with filing of a criminal complaint?
--
David Richards                             Ripco, since Nineteen-Eighty-Three
My opinions are my own, IRS withstanding   Public Access in Chicago
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