Pushing the Envelope Podcast

Counterfeiters hurt businesses’ bottom lines and the Postal Service is often a target. Over the past year, our auditors issued two reports and three management alerts reviewing how fake postage labels and stamps defraud the Postal Service, identifying almost $5.8 billion in revenue loss.

In this episode, we sit down with auditor and avid stamp collector Tasos Kalfas from the OIG’s Office of Audit tounpack his team’s latest report, Efforts to Mitigate Counterfeit Postage.

You’ll hear about significant gaps in the Postal Service’s ability to detect and intercept fraudulent package labels. We’ll also explore how fraudsters have evolved their tactics, where detection controls have fallen short, and what the OIG recommends to strengthen safeguards for both the Postal Service and its customers.

In our debut episode, we sit down with research analyst Teresa Kline, one of the driving forces behind our new white paper, The Role and Value of the U.S. Postal Service in Rural America.

This paper explores the non‑financial social value the Postal Service provides across 21 million rural delivery points. Public conversations often focus on financial balance sheets — where nearly two‑thirds of rural post offices operate at a deficit. In this episode, we discuss how the paper looks beyond costs to examine USPS’s broader contributions. By maintaining uniform rates, delivering prescriptions to areas with pharmacy shortages, and supporting mail‑in voting, USPS delivers meaningful public benefits across four key areas for rural customers: community, economy, health, and civic participation.

Tune in for an insightful conversation that brings the real value of rural mail service into focus.

Click here for the episode's transcript