Brits warned as dozens hit with mystery Post Office fines for counterfeit stamps | UK | News

Brits are being warned about a mystery hitting the Post Office as dozens receive fines.

There has been a surge in counterfeit stamps going through the postal system, leaving unknowing recipients with £5 penalties.

Some say they bought their stamps from reputable sources and have been left mortified when friends and family ask the sender to pay the fine, the MailOnline reported.

Stamps are considered a “secure print item” much like bank notes. This means it is a crime to knowingly reuse or sell used or fake stamps. 

It is believed to have begun two years ago when Royal Mail introduced new stamps with barcodes, to allow mail to be tracked for a more efficient service and reduce the possibility of counterfeiting.

Tony Marcella, a 54-year-old from Warwickshire, was charged £5 by Royal Mail to receive a card from an old friend after a “fee to pay” card came through his letterbox.

Tony’s friend explained that this stamp was one of 103 she had received from Royal Mail after exchanging £95.69 worth of nonbarcoded stamps through the Stamp Swap Out scheme. 

She was mortified as she had sent out more than 20 cards with the stamps – if every recipient was charged the fee then it was at least £100 in penalties.

“I’m very angry. The fee used to be £1 for a letter with incorrect postage but now it’s gone up to £5,” Tony told the Mail.

“I looked at the surface of the stamp really closely and compared it with other stamps I had at home and I am convinced the stamp marked counterfeit was genuine.”

Stamp experts at Newcastle auctioneer, Corbitts, also reviewed images of Tony’s stamp and confirmed that they believe the stamp is genuine. 

Something similar happened to Pam James from North Somerset. The 78-year-old received a card from a friend and was charged £5 due to the second-class counterfeit stamp.

A Royal Mail postal worker in Kent, who wishes to remain anonymous, does not believe there is a criminal network of postal workers making money out of fake stamps, rather that either the machines used to scan the stamps at the sorting offices or the printers that manufacture the stamps are faulty. 

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “It is vital we can investigate any instance where a person believes their stamps have been incorrectly identified as counterfeit or pre-used. 

“To do this, we require any customer who believes they have been incorrectly surcharged to send the envelope with the barcoded stamp attached to us, along with the exact location of where the stamp was purchased. 

“We have a robust, multi-stage process in place when assessing whether barcoded stamps are genuine. We will always happily review individual cases and if an error has been made then we will of course correct it.”