Royal Mail has made the decision to pause the imposition of £5 fines on individuals who receive mail containing counterfeit stamps, as the company addresses the growing issue of fake stamps, particularly originating from China. The move comes in response to customer complaints after the transition to a barcode-based stamp system resulted in an uptick in fraudulent stamps being circulated, leading to penalties for unwitting recipients.
To combat the escalating problem of counterfeit stamps, Royal Mail is implementing various measures, such as the development of a new counterfeit stamp scanner within its app to enable customers to verify barcode authenticity. Additional steps include affixing stickers to items with bogus stamps to alert recipients and focusing on prosecuting senders rather than recipients of mail with counterfeit stamps. The surge in complaints related to fake stamps, especially those from China, has raised concerns of economic warfare due to the alleged influx of millions of counterfeit stamps into the UK post-transition to barcoded stamps last July, with reports indicating that small retailers inadvertently purchased fake stamps in large quantities.
In response to these challenges, Royal Mail is strengthening its efforts by introducing an independent expert to verify stamp authenticity and enhancing collaborations with retailers and online platforms to combat the sale of counterfeit stamps. Despite suspicions of Chinese suppliers offering to produce fake Royal Mail stamps, the Chinese embassy in London has refuted these allegations as baseless. Nick Landon, the chief commercial officer at Royal Mail, emphasized the importance of customer confidence in stamp purchases by highlighting the significant reduction in counterfeit stamp instances through the introduction of barcoded stamps with enhanced security features and partnerships with stakeholders. Landon advised customers to opt for purchasing stamps from reputable high street retailers and post offices rather than online sources unless through the official Royal Mail shop.