Postmasters wrongly accused of fraud in fake stamp farce

A Telegraph investigation in April found Chinese factories were offering to flood Britain with forged stamps in what security experts described as an “act of economic warfare”. 

The data log, obtained under Freedom of Information laws, shows the Post Office recorded 27 accusations that postmasters were selling fake stamps between March 26 2022 and June 9.

Some customers told the Post Office they believed postmasters could be “deliberately” selling fake stamps while others expressed their anger and demanded refunds. 

One complaint from Oct 2023 claims a customer bought 100 second class stamps from their local Post Office but multiple were flagged as counterfeit by Royal Mail. 

Another customer who had bought a book of stamps complained after some, but not all, were flagged as being fraudulent. 

Despite receiving a steady stream of complaints postmasters were potentially committing fraud, the Post Office did not choose to investigate the cause of the problem or seek out any alternative explanation.

Instead, emails sent between Royal Mail and the Post Office show legal teams at both companies discussed whether Post Offices were involved in criminality.

One email sent on July 13 last year by a senior member of Royal Mail’s legal team said the postal service had received six reports that one Post Office branch was selling counterfeit stamps. 

Subsequent emails show meetings were held to discuss the possibility that Post Offices were selling fake stamps. 

Richard Trinder, a postmaster from Sheffield, said he was unsurprised by the findings. 

He said it was “easy to blame postmasters” and that this “seemed to be a culture within Royal Mail and the Post Office”.

Mr Trinder, who is also head of the 900-member strong campaign group Voice of The Postmaster, called on Royal Mail to control the sale of stamps so that they are only sold through the Post Office. 

He said: “If Royal Mail only allowed stamps to be sold via Post Offices and did not allow via Amazon or other non Post Office retailers then there could be greater control and eliminate or reduce fakes and counterfeits.”

Barcoded stamps were introduced as a method to reduce postal fraud, something Royal Mail said was costing it “tens of millions” of pounds each year.

However after the stamps became mandatory last July, customers began complaining that they were being fined £5 for having received a letter which was wrongly accused of having been sent with a fake stamp.