First class decision! Royal Mail ditches controversial £5 fines on letters using ‘fake’ stamps

Royal Mail has scrapped ­controversial fines on letters sent using ‘fake’ stamps.

Following pressure from this newspaper, the postal service will cease charging recipients £5 to collect post sent with stamps that it has deemed counterfeit until at least July while it develops a smartphone app to highlight fakes.

The app will allow customers to scan stamp barcodes to check they are genuine.

But experts have warned this will not support elderly customers who still depend on the postal service to pay utility bills or deposit cheques.

Royal Mail has been heavily criticised in recent months after its move to use only barcoded stamps led to an increase in the number of customers receiving a £5 penalty, with claims the stamps were fakes.

Earlier this month the Mail revealed that fake stamps are entering Britain from China on an ‘industrial scale’.

It is understood that convincing copies, sold for 4p each, are being purchased by small retailers. 

The investigation led to a crackdown by Border Force, which said it would seize goods and work with police to stop criminal gangs smuggling stamps into the UK.

Royal Mail said that since the barcoded stamps were introduced in February 2022 the number of counterfeits has fallen by around 90 per cent.

Nick Landon, Chief Commercial Officer, said: ‘We always recommend that customers only purchase stamps from Post Offices and other reputable High Street retailers, and not to buy stamps online – unless from the official Royal Mail shop.’

Royal Mail recommends people look out for uneven borders and any missing security bogus when trying to spot counterfeit stamps.

Additionally, customers should be wary of stamps that are on sale at less than the market price, or stamps that seem too brightly coloured or too shiny. 

People should also not purchase sheets of stamps that are sold in quantities other than 25, 50 and 100 as these are likely to be fake.