Question: In appreciation, I want to leave a Christmas gratuity card with no stamp on it in my mailbox, addressed to “mail carrier.” Is this against postal regulations? I don’t know what time they deliver to our condo to give it personally, so it’s a matter of convenience for me. Will this be pilikia for the mail carrier, or is this common practice during the holiday season?
Answer: It is against the rules, on two fronts, if you were planning to give cash.
Only mailable matter with correct postage and a deliverable mailing address should be placed into mailboxes, said Duke Gonzales, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service in Honolulu.
Plus, federal regulations specify what gifts postal employees may accept from customers. They may not accept cash or cash equivalents — such as checks or gift cards that can be redeemed for cash — in any amount, he said.
They may accept noncash gifts worth up to $20. A gift card in that amount or less is fine, as long as it can be redeemed only for food, drink, merchandise or a service — not converted to cash.
These small gifts are allowed per occasion, such as Christmas or the mail carrier’s birthday. However, no postal employee may accept more than $50 worth of gifts from any one customer in any calendar year, per federal regulations.
Overall, Gonzalez said, “We advise our customers who wish to thank their carriers to personally hand their less-than-$20 gifts to the carriers or to stop by their local post offices to drop off their gifts.”
Q: Is there another one of those “Going Green” drive-thrus before the end of the year? I like that they take old TVs.
A: No, the final event of 2017 was held Dec. 2 in Kapolei. To be clear, one TV per car is accepted at these regular community recycling events, along with an unlimited amount of other e-waste and reusable items.
Hotmail fraud alert
The Internal Revenue Service warns of a new email scam that targets Hotmail users and steals their personal and financial information. Taxpayers and tax professionals, especially, are urged to look out for the phishing scheme.
“The phishing email subject line reads: ‘Internal Revenue Service Email No. XXXX. We’re processing your request soon.’ … The email leads taxpayers to sign in to a fake Microsoft page and then asks for personal and financial information,” according to a news release from the IRS.
So far, the fraud targets Hotmail users exclusively and has generated hundreds of complaints nationwide. Websites associated with the scam are being shut down, but potential victims should be alert for similar fraud attempts.
The IRS generally does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. Anyone who receives unsolicited email claiming to be from the IRS should forward it to phishing@irs.gov and then delete it.
Auwe
Most everybody wants a dog. Not everybody can take care of a dog. If you are rarely home, hate to exercise and have trouble hearing, please don’t get a dog. Your neighbors suffer. We can hear your bored, lonely dog barking day and night, even if you can’t. — Needs some peace and quiet
Mahalo
A much-belated mahalo to a young man who was in front of me buying a sandwich at Subway in Waipahu on Oct. 26. I was next to him ready to pay for my purchase when the cashier told me it was paid by that young man. I got to thank him before I left and forgot to ask his name because I was flustered having a stranger pay for my purchase. He was wearing one of those bright green T-shirts that construction workers wear. May he have many blessings in the years to come. — A grateful senior
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
