There’s a “window of opportunity” for the U.S. Postal Service to tap into its network of post offices, databases and identity verification experience to “contribute to filling service gaps in identity verification processes,” according to new whitepaper from the USPS Office of Inspector General.
The May 11 paper details how USPS could use its infrastructure and data to work with other agencies as they grapple with how to verify the identities of Americans online and in-person in order to provide government services.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying trillions of dollars in relief funds from the US government, agencies have struggled to address rising identity fraud and improper payments in government services and turned to private sector companies and internal systems to verify that Americans seeking government services are who they claim to be.