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Royal Mail machines can mistake genuine stamps for counterfeits, the company has admitted. Dozens and dozens of Britons were being slapped with a £5 “counterfeit” stamp surcharge despite the stamps being bought from reputable places such as Post Office.
The executive at Royal Mail told the Telegraph that once letters arrive at the mail centre, they go through the system and the barcode is read. “If the barcode comes up as suspicious it is rejected and goes into a separate channel for further checks,” the source said.
“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.
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“Sometimes we’ll say, ‘No the machine is being overly sensitive, actually that stamp is fine’.” They added: “I want people to have faith…[but] mistakes will happen, I don’t doubt it. But when they do we want to put it right. If we are told somebody has incorrectly labelled it as counterfeit we want to follow up whatever steps are necessary to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
They said the machine operates on a “better to be safe than sorry” system. Royal Mail has previously spoken out to suggest several ways to reduce the chances of ending up with fake stamps amid the ongoing Cost of Living crisis.
The Royal Mail urges people to be wary of online sellers promoting what appears to be a “too good to be true” offer. Buy stamps from a Royal Mail-approved outlet such as the Post Office, reputable High Street retailers or the Royal Mail website, it says instead.
Counterfeits which can have an unusually shiny surface, unusual colouration or inaccurate perforations, the company says. And for more help or any queries, then you can contact the company’s customer services team on 03457 740 740.
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