Executive Committee for 2012

President : Kenny Napier                                                               
Vice-President: Savo Tufegdzic
Secretary: Steve Catlin
Treasurer: Steve van den Hurk
Immediate Past President: Richard Johnson RDPSA
Additional Members:  Cedric Roche, Jacques Kuun

Honorary Auditor: Andrew Fisher
Honorary Life Member: Harry Birkhead RDPSA

Website Coordinator: Jacques Kuun

For general questions by the public it is suggested to visit the 'AskPhil' link on the FAQ's page. The "Askphil Stamp Collecting Begins Here" website is a non-commercial all reference site sponsored by the Collectors Club of Chicago..

SUSPECTED USA "GREAT REGISTERED MAIL

RIP-OFF" CONFIRMED

We take the opportunity of advising members that the concerns we expressed on page 9 in our February IFSDA magazine regarding the risks to Registered Mail entering the USA appear to have been warranted... Swiss member Gottfried Honegger informs the IFSDA offices that following the loss of a particularly rare classic Swiss stamp in registered mail inbound to the USA he managed to - with assistance from philatelic contacts at high level - have an investigation into this situation. The investigation has initially implicated a single postal worker at the International Mail Centre at JFK airport. Apparently he was intercepted leaving the premises with approximately 100 registered letters on his person; a further 300 letters were found in his vehicle. First indications are that he removed whole bags of registered letters to sort through for letters containing cash. These were kept, those without cash being discarded. The misappropriated cash was used to upgrade his lifestyle. The suspect specifically appears to have utilised his knowledge of the weakness in the system whereby incoming foreign registered letters are accorded no special secure handling until they reach the local post office and sent out for delivery. Between the JFK mail centre and the local post office of delivery the foreign registered letters simply travel in the regular domestic first-class mail. Incoming registered mail acceptances from Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Germany appear specifically to have been at risk through this mail centre. IFSDA President Ingo Walter raised this issue of registered mail being handled in an insecure manner when he attended meetings with the UPU on 3rd May at which stage only a suspicion of a problem existed. The UPU indicate the domestic handling procedures are under the control of its member countries, in this case the US Postal Service. Any IFSDA members with recent losses of registered mail into the United States are invited to submit details of place and date of posting, destination city and the material contained in the missing letter.Information will be consolidated and missing material listed as stolen on the IFSDA website. In the meantime IFSDA members are encouraged to use Express Mail or Courier sendings into the USA. I R WalterPresident: IFSDA