Money Mail has been inundated with hundreds of messages from readers who have fallen victim to Royal Mail’s fake stamp farce.
Last week we revealed a rise in the number of people claiming they have been forced to pay a £5 fine to receive mail sent with stamps that Royal Mail says are ‘counterfeit’.
Recipients will receive a small gray card in their mailbox stating that they must pay the fine online or at a customer service point before they can receive their mail. After the fine has been paid, the mail will be delivered or can be picked up at a sorting office.
We have also heard from senders who say they have used stamps purchased from legitimate sources, but are embarrassed to learn from the recipient that the stamps have been branded as counterfeit.
Peter May, 63, had to pay a £5 fine after a friend – who is a detective with the Metropolitan Police – sent him a Christmas card with a fake postage stamp on it
It is unclear whether these stamps are actually counterfeit or whether there may have been an error in Royal Mail’s scanning technology or stamp production process.
Today we call on the postal service to urgently launch an investigation to find out why so many fines are being issued and to turn the tide.
People should be able to send letters without fearing that recipients will be charged. Numerous readers tell us that the stamps believed to be fake were purchased from a post office, major supermarket or stationery store and have no visible discoloration, blemishes or blemishes.
Senders accused of using counterfeit stamps include a lawyer, a police officer – and even an NHS hospital.
Peter Cartwright, 61, was charged with receiving a letter from a top lawyer after the first class stamp she used was flagged as counterfeit.
Peter and his wife Janet, who live near Leeds, have been overseeing the care of their friend Vera, 100, for five years, while her daughter Lynn lives seven hours away in South Wales.
But when Lynn, a lawyer, sent vital papers urgently needed for Vera’s care, the stamp was flagged as counterfeit, even though she said she had bought it at a post office.
Peter and Janet, both retired, received a gray card in the post telling them to collect the letter from their local delivery office, which is only open between 8am and 10am.
“There is no way that Lynn would have deliberately sent a letter with a fake stamp,” says Peter.
Len Butterfield is one of three readers who wrote to Money Mail after being charged £5 to collect funeral cards sent by friends after a loved one died.
Another reader, Margaret Patten, told how she had to pay the fee to collect an NHS letter reminding her of an urgent appointment.
Peter May, 63, had to pay £5 after a friend – who is a detective officer with the Metropolitan Police – sent him a Christmas card with a 1st class stamp marked as counterfeit.
The retired construction director was frustrated when he received a message from the Royal Mail on December 29 saying he had to pay to collect the card, which was sent well before Christmas Day.
Peter, from Nottingham, said: ‘I took the letter with the stamp to the post office and showed it to a friend who is a postman. He believes the stamp is real.
“When we asked the sender where she bought the stamp, she told us it was at the post office.”
If you suspect you have accidentally purchased a counterfeit stamp, visit royalmail.com/report-stamp-fraud.
Royal Mail has so far refused to launch a full investigation into the increase in the number of counterfeit stamps.
However, a spokesperson said: ‘It is crucial that we can investigate any case where someone believes their stamps have been wrongly identified as counterfeit or previously used.
‘To do this, we require any customer who believes they have been charged an additional charge in error to return the envelope containing the barcoded stamp attached to us, along with the exact location where the stamp was purchased.
“We have a robust, multi-stage process to assess the authenticity of barcoded stamps.
‘We are always happy to look at individual cases and if a mistake has been made, we will of course correct it.’
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