diff --git a/mail/popper/files/patch-aa b/mail/popper/files/patch-aa
index c44898c301aa..729da1a2e622 100644
--- a/mail/popper/files/patch-aa
+++ b/mail/popper/files/patch-aa
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@
 ! .endif
   
   # if you want APOP support, uncomment the next line
-! CFLAGS+=-DAPOP=\"${PREFIX}/etc/pop.auth\" -DPOPUID=\"pop\"
+! CFLAGS+=-DAPOP=\"${PREFIX}/etc/popper/pop.auth\" -DPOPUID=\"pop\"
   
   # if you want RPOP support, uncomment the next line
 ! # CFLAGS+=-DRPOP
diff --git a/mail/popper/scripts/pre-install b/mail/popper/scripts/pre-install
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..b6cb9cfe0763
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mail/popper/scripts/pre-install
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+if ! id -u pop > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "You need an account \"pop\" to install this package."
+  echo "Please add it by hand (try \"man vipw\") and try again."
+  echo ""
+  echo "An example passwd entry (assuming uid 68 is available) is;"
+  echo "pop:*:68:1::0:0:Post Office Owner:/nonexistent:/nonexistent"
+  echo ""
+  exit 1
+fi
+usrdir=${PREFIX}/etc/popper
+if [ ! -d $usrdir ]; then
+  mkdir -p $usrdir
+fi
+chown pop.daemon $usrdir
+chmod 700 $usrdir
diff --git a/mail/qpopper/scripts/pre-install b/mail/qpopper/scripts/pre-install
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..b6cb9cfe0763
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mail/qpopper/scripts/pre-install
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+if ! id -u pop > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "You need an account \"pop\" to install this package."
+  echo "Please add it by hand (try \"man vipw\") and try again."
+  echo ""
+  echo "An example passwd entry (assuming uid 68 is available) is;"
+  echo "pop:*:68:1::0:0:Post Office Owner:/nonexistent:/nonexistent"
+  echo ""
+  exit 1
+fi
+usrdir=${PREFIX}/etc/popper
+if [ ! -d $usrdir ]; then
+  mkdir -p $usrdir
+fi
+chown pop.daemon $usrdir
+chmod 700 $usrdir