The Great British Post Office Scandal | 115
Scamfluencers
Wondery
4.1 • 7K Ratings
🗓️ 22 July 2024
⏱️ 50 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In the late 90s, the UK Post Office rolls out a new computer accounting system they know is full of glitches. Then, it spends two decades covering up its mistake. When small, mom-and-pop shop owners report errors, the Post Office blames them and forces them to cover any losses… or face prosecution, or jail. But a relentless, rag-tag team of owners and journalists team up to fight the powers that be, and inspire a TV producer to expose the greatest government scam in UK history.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, Scam Fluencers fans, Sarah here. |
| 0:02.8 | If you love the drama, deception, and mind-blowing reveals, Wondery Plus is your VIP ticket to more. |
| 0:09.2 | Add free episodes, early access to the juiciest scandals, and deep dives you won't find anywhere else. |
| 0:15.1 | Get the full Scampluencers experience. Sign up today. |
| 0:19.1 | A heads up to our listeners. This episode includes references to suicide. |
| 0:23.5 | Please listen with care. |
| 0:31.5 | Sachi, have you ever had a really important package stolen or lost in the mail? |
| 0:36.7 | Yeah, actually, in February. It was my birthday the mail? Yeah, actually. |
| 0:37.9 | In February, it was my birthday the same week as Lunar New Year. |
| 0:42.6 | And my mom sent me a birthday card and it was in a red envelope and somebody broke into my |
| 0:46.9 | building and went through all of my mail and that was the only thing they took because |
| 0:50.9 | I think they thought there was money in it. |
| 0:52.7 | I was so sad. |
| 0:54.9 | That is insane. I was so sad. That is insane. |
| 0:57.3 | I know. |
| 0:58.2 | They left, like, actual high value packages, and they just took my mommy's birthday card. |
| 1:04.8 | Well, I know when we think of post offices, our biggest gripe is how packages can get lost or stolen. |
| 1:10.0 | But for decades, the UK Post Office had a rare distinction. |
| 1:14.1 | It was responsible for one of the most embarrassing incidents in the history of the British government, |
| 1:19.1 | which, as you know, means it's very embarrassing. |
| 1:25.5 | It's November 2010, and Sima Misra is in a courtroom in Guildford, a town about an hour southwest of London. |
| 1:33.4 | Seema is in her mid-30s and newly pregnant with shoulder-length brown hair and a broad smile. |
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