Patent ID: 7707124

Claim:
A mail piece verification system for processing mail pieces, the mail pieces having associated therewith respective mail piece data, the mail piece verification system comprising: a data center; and a plurality of mail processing centers in operative communication with the data center; the data center storing a plurality of account files corresponding to a plurality of postage metering systems; the data center being configured to: store reset data in each of the plurality of account files representative of reset activity associated with the plurality of postage metering systems, respectively; receive the respective mail piece data corresponding to the mail pieces from the plurality of mail processing centers; store empirical data in each of the plurality of account files representative of mailing activity associated with the plurality of postage metering systems, respectively; conduct a forensic accounting analysis of the empirical data and the reset data associated with a selected postage metering system using a previously defined time period over which to conduct the forensic accounting analysis; determine, by the forensic accounting analysis, that the empirical data is not consistent with the reset data for the selected postage metering system; and download graphic data to the selected postage metering system which is then included in the mail piece data of mail pieces subsequently prepared by the selected postage metering system.