Anyone Who Receives A Letter With A Fake Stamp Is To Be Charged £5 By Royal Mail

[Draggletail]

Royal Mail actually intend to charge people £5 for receiving a letter with a fake stamp! Where's the logic in that?! And how will they enforce it, send you the bill?

Fake stamps circulating in the UK are originating from China, a senior MP has told the BBC.

Reports suggest a rise in complaints that stamps bought from legitimate stores are being deemed counterfeit. Anyone who receives a letter with a fake stamp is charged £5 by Royal Mail.

 

Full BBC article here

[Pyrotequila]

Great... lets all buy loads of counterfeit stamps and post them to the homes of the executives of Royal Mail, see how long this idiotic rule lasts 😜

[Draggletail]

2 minutes ago, Pyrotequila said:

Great... lets all buy loads of counterfeit stamps and post them to the homes of the executives of Royal Mail, see how long this idiotic rule lasts 😜

Definitely send them to Paula Vennells at the very least. Trouble is she could afford the charge/fine

[mad-dad]

Someone on GBNews explained how to identify a fake Ist class stamp. Three main features are:

 

(1) The barcode in a real one is (slightly) uneven in texture while the portrait etc is smooth

(2) The background of the portrait in a real one has "ROYAL MAIL" written across it in wavey lines, visible when light reflects off it

(3) The value - bottom left - has the roman numeral  'I' and the 'S' fully within the detachable security oval with the 'T' fully outside

 

 

[aardvark6535]

I thought this was one of the reasons that stamps were issued in the first place (1840), missives were folded then closed with a wax seal and the receiver paid the postage, leading to astute writers to use a code on the outside of the letter in the manner of "LOL" today, the receiver would look at the letter, read the code and then refuse to accept the post, saving the cost of postage.

Rather than charge £5.00 for a fake stamp, I would suggest they beef up security on the stamps they issue.

Love the way poor old China did it. This is such a simple world, if it wasn't the Russians, it was the Chinese.

[Axe]

1 hour ago, Draggletail said:

Royal Mail actually intend to charge people £5 for receiving a letter with a fake stamp! Where's the logic in that?! And how will they enforce it, send you the bill?

 

 

 

Full BBC article here

I am guessing the  intended receiver of the letter will have to pay in some way otherwise they will not be given the letter,  I assume if there is no stamp on a letter or an underpayment the fee will be the same.   Very logical.

[peak4]

Pretty much as it's always been; if no postage shown,  or under value postage, the recipient pays an additional charge + handling before the letter/parcel is released (or even viewed sometimes).

'I paid £5 for unpaid postage and was angry to receive a Lib Dem campaign leaflet'  The Star
A Sheffield man has shared his anger after paying £5 in unpaid postage only to receive a political leaflet from his local Liberal Democrat campaigner.

Residents in Crookes have shared they received notes from Royal Mail explaining postage had not been paid on a delivery addressed to them. But upon paying to receive their delivery, they discovered a political letter from the Sheffield Liberal Democrat council candidate, Jordan Barry.

[RollingJ]

If that happened to me, @peak4, I would send him or his agent an invoice for £10, along with a strong message that he had lost any support I may have had for him, or his party.

[peak4]

2 minutes ago, RollingJ said:

If that happened to me, @peak4, I would send him or his agent an invoice for £10, along with a strong message that he had lost any support I may have had for him, or his party.

I would send them an invoice to cover my coast as well.
Their response to it would decide whether they lost any support that they might have had from me.
It's a bit like when there's a problem with a purchase; it's how the seller deals with the issue that is the mark of an good honourable vendor.

[RollingJ]

2 minutes ago, peak4 said:

I would send them an invoice to cover my coast as well.
Their response to it would decide whether they lost any support that they might have had from me.
It's a bit like when there's a problem with a purchase; it's how the seller deals with the issue that is the mark of an good honourable vendor.

Agreed - the cost of my postage would be in addition to the £10 -I forgot to add  that bit in. Agree with your second point, also.