Do you know how to spot a fake stamp? As Royal Mail is accused ‘passing the buck’ to the Border Force after a flood of cheap Chinese copies into Britain, here’s how you can tell you have the real dealgoes here

Border Force has promised a crackdown on fake stamps after Royal Mail accused it of failing to stop counterfeit versions entering Britain from China.

The Home Office said that Border Force will take ‘concerted action’ to stop counterfeit stamps from crossing international borders, after a senior Royal Mail executive suggested that more should be done to stop the stamps coming from abroad.

Earlier this week the Mail revealed that fake stamps are entering Britain from China on an ‘industrial scale’, leaving victims with a £5 penalty to collect their post.

It is understood that convincing copies, sold for just 4p each, are being purchased by small retailers, who do not need to buy stamps directly from Royal Mail and can instead order them online or from wholesalers.

This newspaper easily found four large Chinese suppliers advertising sheets of fake stamps online, with the capacity of up to a million counterfeit stamps a week and delivery to Britain within days.

It is often very hard to tell the difference between real and fake Royal Mail stamps 

Royal Mail has been urged to investigate what has been termed ‘economic warfare’

The accusations have sparked a diplomatic row as Chinese officials said the claims were ‘baseless’, adding that Royal Mail should investigate its own supply chain.

A Home Office spokesman told the Mail yesterday that it does not tolerate the sale of illegal products including stamps, adding that it will ‘work closely with law enforcement partners to share intelligence’.

He said: ‘Border Force will take concerted action to stop them crossing our borders by detecting and seizing harmful goods and supporting law enforcement to dismantle the criminal gangs that attempt to smuggle them in.’ 

MPs have, however, expressed concern that Royal Mail is deferring responsibility without pledging to conduct an investigation into its own operations.

Yesterday former Post Office minister Paul Scully told the Mail that Royal Mail cannot leave Border Force alone to investigate this issue.

He said: ‘Royal Mail needs to be open and stop passing the buck. 

Before Royal Mail passes the problem to Border Force it has got to explain why counterfeit stamps have suddenly become a problem.’

In a letter to the company’s chief executive Martin Seidenberg yesterday, post office minister Kevin Hollinrake suggested Royal Mail ‘redouble’ its efforts to ‘investigate the source of counterfeit stamps, prevent their sale and hold those responsible accountable’.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: ‘Royal Mail takes the illegal production of counterfeit stamps seriously. 

The introduction of unique barcodes and added security features has made it harder for fraudsters to replicate stamps. 

As a result the number of counterfeits has reduced by about 90 per cent.’