preCharge News ILLINOIS — Thousands of counterfeit Forever Stamps were seized at the Chicago International Mail Branch last weekend, the U.S. Customs and Border Protections announced Thursday. 

The federal agency said it stopped eight shipments from China containing 161,860 counterfeit stamps. The stamps were seized for violating trademark laws and deemed fake “based on the very low invoice value, the routing, and the extraordinary efforts undertaken to conceal the stamps.” 

The purported value of the fraudulent stamps was roughly $118,000, according to CBP, had they been genuine. 

The agency said the stamps were poor in quality, but counterfeiters are improving, and some consumers may not notice a difference from a real stamp. 

“Counterfeiters only care about making a profit. They don’t care about the effect that fake postage has on your ability to send important mail and overall impacts the U.S. economy,” said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, director for field operations in Chicago. “Our officers and specialists are some of the most highly trained in the nation, and their level of expertise is evident with these seizures. CBP officers were able to identify these very realistic counterfeits and stop them from reaching their destinations.”

The agency said it has seen a rise in counterfeit U.S. Postal Service postage stamps, especially around holidays, including high-volume card holidays. 

The Associated Press, CBS News, Fox News, and preCharge News contributed to this report.

This is a developing news story. More information will be provided as soon as it becomes available.