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Royal Mail has wrongly slapped a customer with a counterfeit stamp charge for a GENUINE stamp. Royal Mail has admitted to incorrectly branding a genuine first-class stamp as “counterfeit”, as the investigation and probe continues.
It told GB News: “Royal Mail takes the illegal production of counterfeit stamps seriously. Since the introduction of barcoded stamps we have been able to significantly reduce stamp fraud through added security features.
“Every barcode is unique which allows us to identify whether a stamp is genuine or not, and whether they have been previously used. We want our customers to buy stamps with confidence. We strongly 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.”
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Sir Paul Beresford MP told GB News: “What was extraordinary about this case is one branch of the Royal Mail said it was fraudulent and the other one says it wasn’t. It’s a pretty poor show. Should they not get their act together?”
He added: “I think what we will possibly do now we’ve got this information is offer for them to look to the people that said it was counterfeit and ask them why.”
The Royal Mail went on: “Our website provides customers with guidance on how to spot counterfeit or used stamps and we urge customers to report any suspicious stamps to Royal Mail via our website at Report a Stamp Fraud so that we can investigate.
“We are working hard to remove counterfeit stamps from circulation. We regularly monitor to detect suspicious activity, such as sales of heavily discounted stamps and work closely with retailers and law enforcement agencies to identify those who produce counterfeit stamps.
“We have a robust, multistage process in place when assessing whether stamps are genuine. This includes a thorough examination using specialist equipment, then a follow-up inspection by a skilled member of the team before any stamp is marked as counterfeit or pre-used.”
It comes days after Royal Mail issued a warning over counterfeit stamps following claims people have been wrongly fined after receiving letters with new barcoded stamps. Members of the public have complained they have had to pay £5 penalties to collect post because the stamps were deemed to be counterfeit.
