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Royal Mail has issued a warning to UK residents, advising it’s “better to be safe than sorry” after acknowledging that their machines can sometimes incorrectly identify legitimate stamps as fakes.
A number of people in the UK have been hit with a £5 “counterfeit” stamp surcharge despite purchasing their stamps from trustworthy sources like the Post Office.
A Royal Mail executive explained to the Telegraph how the process works once mail arrives at the centre: “If the barcode comes up as suspicious it is rejected and goes into a separate channel for further checks,” they said.
The spokesperson continued: “A revenue protection person will then inspect the item using specialist equipment. I know people are naturally suspicious of machines, it’s not all reliant on machines. The machine is the thing which flags the suspicion it’s a multi-stage check.”
“Sometimes we’ll say, ‘No the machine is being overly sensitive, actually that stamp is fine’.”
Birmingham Live reports that the executive admitted mistakes do happen, and when they do, the team is keen to ‘follow up’ whichever steps are necessary to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
The source highlighted that the machinery operates on a ‘better safe than sorry’ system. Amidst the current cost of living crisis, Royal Mail has offered several tips to help customers avoid the pitfalls of counterfeit stamps.
The company is urging people not to fall for online dealers peddling dubious “too good to be true” offers. Instead, it suggests that stamps should be bought from approved outlets like the Post Office, reputable High Street retailers or from Royal Mail’s own official website.
The company advises customers to keep an eye out for counterfeits which may show unusually glossy surfaces, peculiar coloration or inaccurate perforations. For any further assistance or queries, customer services at Royal Mail can be contacted on 03457 740 740.
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