USPS Oig Report On Counterfeit Stamps 16 June 2026

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It would have to be proven that they knew that they were counterfeit. And who is going to be checking all the mail to discover which stamps even are counterfeit? It would cost FAR more than it is worth to try to find everyone who is using them. Especially since very few people are capable of actually telling the difference between real and fake. And every stamp is being counterfeited, which means years of study even for collectors who are genuinely interested. The only way to stop it is at the source, which is a political problem with no real answer. As long as everyone involved in selling is making easy money, and people on a budget are saving money, it's never going away.

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Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (Postal Inspection Service) echoes the United States Postal Service (USPS) warning urging consumers to be on alert for counterfeit stamps and counterfeit postage labels on packages.

Under federal law, Title 18 United States Code 501, it is unlawful for an individual to use, sell, or deposit packages and/or letters affixed with counterfeit postage or stamps in the U.S. Mail. If engaged in this fraudulent criminal activity, an individual may be liable for criminal and/or civil penalties. Furthermore, U.S. Mail, including packages, found with counterfeit stamps and/or postage may not be processed or delivered by USPS. Postal Inspectors are actively conducting investigations to identify the criminal misuse of the U.S. Mail, along with the perpetrators. Postal Inspectors also conduct interdictions of packages containing counterfeit postage labels and, as part of a criminal investigation, packages with affixed counterfeit postage can be seized.

The Postal Inspection Service's Revenue Investigations Program focuses on detecting counterfeit postage labels and stamps. Postal Inspectors are working with USPS Engineering and Technology groups to continuously identify counterfeit postage. In one of many recent initiatives, the Postal Inspection Service also conducted counterfeit package interdictions with Customs and Border Protection in New York and Los Angeles where numerous freight shipments containing packages affixed with counterfeit postage were refused entry into the U.S. In one case, we seized $2.5 million in counterfeit stamps coming from China.

The Postal Inspection Service is also focusing on consumer protection. The number of counterfeit stamps being sold from online platforms has increased. Scammers sell fake stamps on social media marketplaces, e-commerce sites via third party vendors, and other websites. Typically, scammers sell counterfeit stamps at a large discount. The Postal Inspection Service recommends purchasing from Approved Postal Providers™. Approved vendors can include legitimate warehouse retailers who do provide very small discounts on postage stamps, but through resale agreements with the Postal Service. Please visit this Public Service Announcement on counterfeit postage.

"The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed to protecting consumers and the U.S. Mail from fraudulent activity. Engaging in counterfeit postage label and stamp fraud causes monetary losses to Postal consumers and the United States Postal Service alike," said Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale. "Fraudsters beware, the Postal Inspection Service will continue to exhaust all its efforts to disrupt your scheme, find you, and bring you to justice."

If you feel that you have received a package affixed with counterfeit postage, please report it to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service fraud hotline at 800-372-8347. For more information on counterfeit stamps and other crimes, please visit www.uspis.gov.

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All of these ideas strengthen the case for focusing on end-users. ... Make the prosecutions very public. The issue of demand is all that keeps this going.

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It's easy to claim that they can detect counterfeit stamps, and when they did not have tagging it was possible to do so fairly easily, but if it was so easy to do now they would be doing it all the time. And they would be shouting it from the rooftops every time they actually busted people, in an attempt to get others afraid to use or sell them. Which clearly has not happened. Sure, they might have gotten lucky once or twice and stopped a shipment or two, but hardly any serious quantity.

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Thanks for the reminder. Has USPS or DOJ taken any action against these organizations selling the counterfeit stamps?

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Even if they can't successfully prosecute and convict a consumer of knowingly using counterfeit postage, a few knocks on the door from a uniformed federal officer should be enough to send shivers through the unsuspecting buyers and start a groundswell of social media reports to get the word out...

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The platforms make it possible, but since they are owned by billionaires, and we all know how the government feels about billionaires, we all know that nothing will ever happen to those platforms.

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Honestly, this is a great idea - just do a couple hundred visits across the country over the course of a month and let social media and local news pick up on the rest.

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This is false.

Unlike a company such as Hip Stamp the platforms we are speaking of, ebay, Facebook etc., are publicly traded companies owned by a wide range of institutional and individual shareholders.

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That is one way to get around Innocent Until Proven Guilty, just turn innocent folks over to the mobs for mob justice.

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If we are not going after the users of drugs who can be found in any homeless encampment, how does one justify going after folks who can't tell if a stamp is truly fake?

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Also in general the Feds will not move a case to court until the issue hits $20,000. As to local law enforcement, an 82 cent theft is not even a low priority. Remember, just possessing fake stamps is not a crime.

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That is one way to get around Innocent Until Proven Guilty, just turn innocent folks over to the mobs for mob justice.

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If we are not going after the users of drugs who can be found in any homeless encampment, how does one justify going after folks who can't tell if a stampis truly fake?

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Also in general the Feds will not move a case to court until the issue hits $20,000. As to local law enforcement, an 82 cent theft is not even a low priority.

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Remember, just possessing fake stamps is not a crime.

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or possesses with intent to use or sell, a