[Infowarrior] - UPS to require photo IDs for shipping packages

[Richard Forno]

UPS to require photo IDs for shipping packages

– Tue Dec 7, 11:25 am ET

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101207/ap_on_bi_ge/us_ups_enhanced_security_2

NEW YORK – UPS is now requiring photo identification from customers shipping packages at retail locations around the world, a month after explosives made it on to one of the company's planes.

The Atlanta-based package courier said Tuesday the move is part of an ongoing review to enhance security. The directive will apply at The UPS Store, Mail Boxes Etc. locations and other authorized shipping outlets.

UPS customer centers have required government-issued photo identification since 2005.

In late October, a printer cartridge on a UPS cargo plane bound for Chicago was stopped in London after explosives were discovered. The package was later traced to a retail location in Yemen.

The stepped-up security also comes as UPS prepares for its busiest shipping day of the year. United Parcel Service expects to deliver 430 million packages between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and 24 million packages alone on its busiest day, projected to be Dec. 22. That's up 60 percent from a normal day.

"Since retail centers experience a significant increase in business from occasional shippers during the busy holidays, this enhancement adds a prudent step in our multi-layered approach to security," UPS Vice President of small business and retail marketing Dale Hayes said in a statement.

Shares of UPS Inc. rose 66 cents to $72.35 in morning trading Tuesday after rising to a 52-week high of $72.42 earlier in the session.