Could another scandal be on the way? allegedly

What is ‘the other outfit’? And if Royal Mail says they are ok presumably they are not rejecting them?

The opening post is muddled and misleading. I am assuming it’s related to this story in the Mail. I’d rather read the Telegraph version but it’s behind a paywall.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13265769/Royal-Mail-investigate-fake-stamps-fined-letters.html

People have complained they are receiving £5 penalties to collect post because Royal Mail considered the stamps on them fake.

The problem comes after Royal Mail switched exclusively to a barcoded system in July 2023.

According to postmasters, the allegedly counterfeit stamps were purchased from a Royal Mail shop directly, sparking fears they are being wrongly considered fake, the Telegraph reported.

The newspaper understands a formal investigation has not started yet but Royal Mail told ministers it is working with retailers to get to the bottom of the issue.

The Post Office said any claims that the fake stamps were purchased at one of its stores were 'extremely serious' as it suggested a member of staff or postmaster had swapped legitimate Royal Mail stamps with fake alternatives.

The chairman of one postmaster campaign group said: 'It goes without saying that postmasters do not want to have to deal with false accusations about something else.' The campaigner was seemingly making reference to those wrongly convicted during the Horizon IT scandal.

Thanks for the link. Yes, the opening post is totally muddled and misleading. Royal Mail, like the other outfit, says they are correct. How on earth does Infoman extrapolate that from the DM article? I still have no idea what he means by ‘the other outfit’.

If you want to read the Telegraph article, copy the page link and post it into

www.removepaywall.com/#google_vignette

A friend of mine used a couple stamps from a sheet of 25 that she'd bought, one of the recipients was charged extra postage as the PO claimed the stamp was counterfeit. 17 used previously with no problem.

Where did they buy the stamps?

My local theatre produces a quarterly brochure. It is in a colourful envelope with a postage stamp printed on it. I presume they must have permission to do that. The printers must have a agreement from Royal Mail to do this.

Front page of the Thursday mornings Daily Mail,
be careful where you buy your postage stamps from.

If Royal Mail says they are genuine, who is saying they are not?
Who is/are “the other outfit” ?

It's not a scandal

If true, it's forgery, a scam.
Hardly on the scale of the Post Office scandal.

From the DT, if this helps
China is behind the scourge of counterfeit stamps flooding Britain and landing victims with £5 penalties, The Telegraph understands.
Sources close to Royal Mail said that forgeries from the Communist country were behind a rise in complaints that letters sent with stamps bought from legitimate stores were being flagged as fraudulent.
Security experts and MPs described the mass forgery as an “act of economic warfare” and akin to “printing counterfeit money ”.
It is understood that the convincing forgeries are being bought unwittingly by small retailers, who are not required to buy stamps directly from Royal Mail and can instead source them from wholesalers in bulk
It comes after the Royal Mail last week launched a review into its new barcoded stamps amid fears customers are wrongly being forced to pay £5 to collect letters.
Post Office minister Kevin Hollinrake said he expects Royal Mail to investigate how the counterfeit stamps from China entered the supply chain and were being sold in shops.
Royal Mail insists its systems are not faulty – meaning any stamps flagged as counterfeit are likely to be fakes from China.
A Telegraph investigation identified four major Chinese suppliers offering to print up to one million counterfeit Royal Mail stamps a week for as little as 4p each – and deliver them to Britain within days.
The stamps are also being sold through online retail giants such as Amazon and eBay – and on websites that mimic the official Royal Mail store.
A senior figure at Royal Mail admitted to BBC One’s Watchdog that he could not spot the difference between a counterfeit and a genuine stamp.
David Gold, director of external affairs and policy, said: “The reality is counterfeiters are now so good at what they do that even I, and I work for Royal Mail, I can’t tell the difference just by looking at them .”
Security experts have warned that the mass fraud is “economic warfare” done with the “tacit approval” of the Chinese Communist Party.
The postal workers union CWU has also said that the “scam on an unprecedented scale” had resulted in a rise in aggression against its members and risked further damage to the Post Office brand following the Horizon scandal

Beat me to it, Maw.

I find this quite scary.

There was a time when you could buy envelopes with the postage already paid. What happened to those? The First Editions were collectors items.

yes, this was on bbc The One Show last night after having been in national news over the last week and right now on BBc Breakfast it has been mentioned so will be coming up in a few minutes.

BBC Breakfast right now. counterfeit stamps

The problem is that some corner shops with PO counters have bought stamps from “other sources” not directly from the PO. Since stamp distribution was expanded its been much easier for fraud to happen.

I suspect this is not unlike the man in corner shop selling illegal cigarettes under the counter.

I generally buy books of stamps with my groceries - hopefully the big supermarkets buy supplies from the proper source.

I normally buy my stamps from my local card shop. I need stamps because I send birthday cards to my friends and family who don’t live near to me.
Last night it was reported that the fake stamps have come from China. No idea if this is true or not.

maddyone

I normally buy my stamps from my local card shop. I need stamps because I send birthday cards to my friends and family who don’t live near to me.
Last night it was reported that the fake stamps have come from China. No idea if this is true or not.

It is true.
Unfortunately some retailers buy their stamps from wholesalers, these are the fakes.
Unless they have been bought from the PO there is every possibility they are fake!
Bloody China!

Germanshepherdsmum

I suspect this is not unlike the man in corner shop selling illegal cigarettes under the counter.

I generally buy books of stamps with my groceries - hopefully the big supermarkets buy supplies from the proper source.

Yes this. I rely on this site for my news as I rarely watch it on TV. I think this is one of the obvious dangers of unmitigated internet shopping- how do you know what is fake or not?

I thank RosiesMaw for her post, as this puts it into context.

Only buy from the PO in future to be sure you get the genuine article.

But PO counters in small shops have been selling fake stamps! Our local PO counter is in a petrol station and Spar shop and I trust the people who run it, but who knows?

In that case the sub post offices must be told to only buy from their own reputable sources!

I agree, but will they obey? As we have no actual PO for miles, I will continue buying supplies from the supermarket.