How to Fill Out and Submit PS Form 8165: Mail Fraud Report

PS Form 8165 is the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Mail Fraud Report, and you can file it two ways: online through the USPIS electronic complaint portal, or on paper by printing the PDF from the USPS forms site and mailing it to the Criminal Investigations Service Center in Chicago.¹ The form asks who defrauded you, how the mail was used, and how much money you lost. Postal inspectors use the volume and pattern of these complaints to decide which schemes to investigate, so an accurate, detailed report matters even when the individual loss is small.²

What to Gather Before You Start

The form asks for specifics you won’t want to hunt down mid-submission. Pull these together first:

Your contact information: name, mailing address, email, and at least one phone number. The form also asks your age range and whether you’re a veteran.
The suspect’s details: company name, individual’s name if known, mailing address, phone numbers, fax, email, and website.
The envelope. If you still have the envelope the fraudulent material arrived in, check it for a permit number and a postage meter number. The form asks for both. Keep the original envelope in case inspectors request it later.
Payment records: the exact dollar amount lost, the date of your last payment, and how you paid (cash, postal money order, check, debit or credit card, money transfer service, PayPal, virtual currency, or other).
Copies of correspondence: advertisements, solicitation letters, receipts, canceled checks (front and back), and any other paperwork tied to the scheme.

Keep your originals. The Postal Inspection Service may contact you about them, and originals carry more weight if the case goes to trial. Store them where they won’t be handled, folded, or damaged, and note the date and circumstances under which each item arrived.

One timing note before you file: unless the business has clearly vanished, USPIS recommends contacting the company first to try to resolve the problem, and waiting at least two weeks before submitting the report.²

Completing PS Form 8165 Section by Section

The online and paper versions follow the same structure.

Subject of Complaint

This section identifies who defrauded you. Fill in the company name, the individual’s name, the mailing address, and every phone number, email, and website you have for them. The more contact points you provide, the easier it is for inspectors to cross-reference your report against other complaints about the same operation. If you dealt with more than one person at the same company, list the primary contact here and mention the others in the narrative.

Your Information

Enter your own name, address, email, and phone numbers. The form asks you to select an age range (12–17, 18–19, 20–29, 30–39, 40–54, 55–64, or 65 and older) and whether you’re a veteran. These fields help the agency track which populations a scam targets; elder fraud and veteran-targeted schemes are both enforcement priorities.

How You Were Contacted and How You Responded

These two sections reconstruct the timeline. First, check how the suspect initially reached you: U.S. Mail, telephone, internet, email, website, phone app, or another method. Enter the date of first contact. If the contact came by mail, indicate whether you still have the envelope and record its permit number and postage meter number.

Then record how you responded, using the same list of methods. If you mailed a response, provide the name and address you sent it to and any tracking number. The form asks what you received in return, how it differed from what you expected, and how much the company asked you to pay. These details establish that the mail was used as part of the scheme, which is the core element of federal mail fraud.

The section also asks whether you’ve already contacted the company about the problem. If you haven’t, the form asks why: options include the address being unavailable, the phone being disconnected, or calls going unanswered.

Did You Lose Money

Mark yes or no. If yes, enter the amount in U.S. dollars, the date of your last payment, and the payment method. Be precise. Round numbers look like estimates, and inspectors prioritize reports with documented, exact losses. If you paid in installments, total them and note the breakdown in the narrative.

Type of Mail Fraud Complaint

This is where you categorize the scheme. The form lists over two dozen specific fraud types grouped under broader headings. Common categories include:

Advance Payment: credit card offers, credit repair, debt consolidation, loans, medical services, chain letters, charity fraud, or contest and sweepstakes scams.
Employment: work-at-home schemes, multilevel marketing, fake postal service jobs, secret shopper offers, or overseas job scams.
Impostor: someone posing as the IRS, Social Security Administration, a grandchild, or another trusted figure.
Investment: fraudulent franchise opportunities, precious metals deals, or securities and stock schemes.
Lottery: domestic or foreign lotteries where you pay to play.
Merchandise or Services: failure to deliver, failure to pay, internet auction fraud, or misrepresentation of a product.
Mortgage Fraud: foreclosure rescue, mortgage modification, or reverse mortgage scams.

Other categories cover education fraud, false bills or notices, insurance fraud, fiduciary abuse, medical quackery, real estate scams, and internationally originating fraud. If nothing fits, select “Other.” Inspectors route cases partly based on this classification, so pick the category that best describes what happened.

Submitting Your Report

Both submission routes end at the same office.

The online portal mirrors the PDF and lets you review everything before final submission. Filing online creates an immediate electronic record and is the faster route.²

If you prefer paper, print the PDF, complete it, and mail it with copies of your supporting documents to:

Criminal Investigations Service Center
ATTN: MAIL FRAUD
433 W Harrison Street, RM 3255
Chicago, IL 60699-3255

Send copies, not originals. The portal instructions specifically say to mail “all copies (not originals) of bills, receipts, advertisements, canceled checks (front and back), or correspondence related to your report.”² If you mail your report, use a method with tracking so you have proof of delivery.

What Happens After You File

Postal inspectors review complaints to determine whether the activity violates the federal mail fraud statute, which makes it a crime to use the mail to carry out a scheme to defraud.³

Don’t expect regular status updates. The USPIS is direct about this: investigations are based on the number, substance, and pattern of complaints from the public, and the agency cannot guarantee you’ll recover lost money.² Under the agency’s Consumer Protection Program, inspectors may contact the business on your behalf to try to resolve the complaint. Beyond that, you’ll hear from them only if they need more information or the case moves toward prosecution.

If the case does progress to criminal charges, the federal Victim Notification System provides updates on the investigation’s status, any charges filed, the defendant’s custody status, public court proceedings, the sentence, and any parole hearings. You can register at the DOJ’s VNS website or by calling 1-866-365-4968.⁴

A Warning on False Reports

PS Form 8165 is a federal document. Knowingly making a materially false statement to a federal agency is a felony carrying up to five years in prison and fines.⁵ The standard applies to exaggerations and fabrications alike. Inflating your loss amount or inventing a transaction that never happened both qualify. Report what actually happened, document it accurately, and let inspectors decide whether it rises to a prosecutable offense.

1
United States Postal Service. PS Form 8165 – Mail Fraud Report
2
United States Postal Inspection Service. USPIS Online Complaint Form
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1341 – Frauds and Swindles
4
U.S. Department of Justice. Victim Notification System
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1001 – Statements or Entries Generally