USPS Oig Report On Counterfeit Stamps 16 June 2026

Understand.

We really need to inspect more of what comes in, whether it is for drugs or counterfeits. There should be money from the new tariffs (assuming some of them stick and aren't ruled illegal).

The alibaba ad is unbelievable - thanks for passing this along. Perhaps I am overestimating the federal government's ability to get anything done, but this seems like something that Congress or the administration could and should take on. These are fakes that even an untrained eye can spot, and the price for the stamps just confirms that they are counterfeit.

Going after demand will be more useful than going after supply.

After all, there's nothing to stop the criminal element from starting up production domestically. (Look at what happened with pot growing - once border enforcement was stepped up, the gangs took to cultivating in our national parks out west...!) So while I understand the need to increase inspections coming in from abroad, it's ultimately a losing game of whack a mole.

We have to instead deal effectively with demand for said stamps - whether that's choking off retail opportunities (going after the online platforms like ebay, Facebook, etc.) where the commerce actually happens, or penalizing usage (destroying mail with counterfeits, as was threatened before), or getting rid of them altogether.

That's not to say that going after the crooks should stop - I'm glad to read of that recent arrest. But thinking we'd actually be able to intercept an appreciable number of these bogus stamps pouring in is wishful thinking, and thinking that the criminals wouldn't just ramp up domestic production (higher cost, but potentially still lucrative) is wishful, too.

The frustrating thing with a site like Alibaba is that they are so blatant about it. Besides US stamps, they are openly selling counterfeit British, Canadian, and Australian stamps. Maybe a multinational effort to stop this would be in order?

Beyond stamps, they are selling fake American Silver Eagle coins, which are an official US Mint product. Where is the Treasury Department/Secret Service on this?

You know what doesn't come up if you search for it on Alibaba? Rolex watches. A private company does more to protect their brand against fakes than a government does.