(WHTM)– It’s spring wedding season when brides and grooms start sending out millions of wedding invitations. Unfortunately, some of those invitations end up not going through because the stamps were fake.

Everyone wants this day to be perfect, but it often gets off to a bad start these days because couples buy discount stamps online.

“For me personally it’s a huge problem all year when it comes to wedding invitations,” Krista Folzenlogan said.

But in this digital age, counterfeit stamps are becoming a real problem.

“These are counterfeit, and these are legitimate,” showed card shop owner Krista Folzenlogan who owns Poeme Stationary in Hyde Park.

“Would you be able to tell the difference,” Folzenlogan said.

No, I could not tell. Krista says she inadvertently bought these stamps from a site selling discount postage.

“A stamp is a tax, essentially, and you don’t get a sale price on a tax,” Folzenlogan said.

As the problem grows the USPS is fighting back against counterfeit postage any items mailed with fake stamps are now subject to being opened and then thrown away.

So how can you protect yourself? The USPS says:

• Purchase stamps only from a post office.

• Or the official USPS site, usps.com

• It does not have sales on stamps, such as 30% off.

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Traylen Jones wants to make sure the stamps she buys are the real thing.

“I’m currently getting postage together to send to my dad down in Florida, and I would hate for him not to get his card,” Jones said.

So Krista is now on a mission. She tells clients of her card shop to be suspicious of any stamps sold for much less than face value.

“What happens is people purchase them, thinking they are getting a good deal, and then all of your mail gets flagged and destroyed,” Folzenlogan said.

If a letter is important, like a wedding invitation, bill, or tax document, make sure you are using official USPS stamps, and that way you don’t waste your money.

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