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Royal Mail has moved to explains how to spot fake stamp as it shares three tell-tale signs. Royal Mail has warned that many fake stamps can still be deceptive and may not have any of these features as it pauses fines for UK households.
An unusually shiny surface, peculiar colouration or inaccurate perforations are the three giveaway signs, the Royal Mail says. The BBC has reported the guide for UK households to follow amid a swathe of counterfeit stamps flooding Britain.
Addressees have been forced to pay a levy of £5 to receive post if Royal Mail suspects that a fake stamp was used by the sender. Hundreds of fines have been issued since barcoded stamps became mandatory last July, it has emerged.
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Nick Landon, the chief commercial officer at Royal Mail, said: “The combination of new barcoded stamps with added security features and Royal Mail actively working with retailers, online marketplaces and law enforcement authorities, has led to a 90% reduction in counterfeit stamps.
“We want our customers to buy stamps with confidence and 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.”
The Royal Mail is also appointing an independent expert to assess whether a stamp is genuine when a customer appeals and plans to work with retailers and online platforms to prevent stamp fraud. Post-bearing suspect stamps will now be returned to sender along with a surcharge where possible, the company has said.
The postage firm said it would re-impose the charge after it has introduced an online scanner, currently in development, which will allow customers to determine if a stamp is genuine. The Royal Mail said that it had seized 1.5 million fake stamps after the shift to barcoded versions.
