Postal Service Controls Over Postage Meters

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the U.S. Postal Service's (USPS) efforts to correct weaknesses and improve controls in its metered mail program. GAO noted that USPS: (1) has decertified all existing mechanical meters, banned the addition of any new mechanical meters, and plans to replace them with electronic meters that are less vulnerable to physical tampering by 2000; (2) has begun to purchase polycarbonate meter seals, which are less susceptible to tampering than lead seals; (3) is considering adopting an intelligent bar-coded indicia to hinder counterfeiting of meter marks; (4) has created databases that contain information on meter licenses and meters reported as lost or stolen; (5) is developing a system to compare mail volume with mail revenue; (6) is participating in international efforts to share information on best practices for reducing meter fraud; and (7) has not yet addressed staffing shortages in the meter program office.