According to a senior MP, China is responsible for the increased number of counterfeit stamps in the UK. The Royal Mail has received complaints that stamps bought from legitimate stores are fake, and anyone who receives a letter with a fake stamp is charged £5. Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith has claimed that “China is behind it.”
Reports suggest that people are inadvertently buying fake stamps from Chinese firms through online marketplaces. Consumers should look out for the irregular perforations around the edge of a stamp and the shine or off-color of the surface.
Alan Mendoza from the security think tank the Henry Jackson Society has told BBC Breakfast that although they do not know if the Chinese government is involved, there is evidence that Chinese firms are involved.
Although the majority of stamps sold are legitimate, David Gold, Royal Mail’s director of external affairs and policy has confirmed that less than 0.1% of stamps going through the network are counterfeits. Stamps with barcodes were launched in 2022 to reduce the number of fakes sold. Mr. Gold stated that this move had led to a 90% decrease in counterfeits.
To reduce the number of fake stamps, Royal Mail regularly monitors online marketplaces to detect questionable sales and works with retailers and law enforcement agencies to identify producers of counterfeit stamps
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