China accused of flooding Britain with fake Royal Mail stamps

Get the free Morning Headlines e-mail for information from our reporters the world over

Sign as much as our free Morning Headlines e-mail

China has been accused of flooding Britain with counterfeit Royal Mail stamps.

The Daily Telegraph reported that sources near Royal Mail stated fakes from the Asian nation have been inflicting an increase in complaints that stamps purchased from reputable shops have been being deemed fraudulent, which may end up in a £5 penalty.

The newspaper recognized 4 Chinese suppliers providing to print as much as a million counterfeit Royal Mail stamps every week. These stamps are being offered for as little as 4p every forward of supply to Britain.

The fakes have additionally been discovered on Amazon and eBay and web sites copying the Royal Mail official retailer, the newspaper stated.

These stamps are being purchased unknowingly by small retailers, who’re allowed to purchase stamps from wholesalers fairly than from Royal Mail instantly.

Post Office minister Kevin Hollinrake informed the Daily Mail: “It is key to prevent counterfeit stamps entering our supply chain in the UK.

“The Royal Mail must do everything possible to prevent counterfeits entering our circulation and must establish where they are coming from and how they are entering our marketplace.”

The Times reported {that a} spokesman from the Chinese Embassy in London known as the claims “absurd”.

He stated: “It is totally ridiculous, absurd and ill-intentional. How could one imagine a sovereign country triggers war by bringing fake stamps?

“If this case really happened, (the) first thing to do is to have (a) thorough investigation over the internal supply chain, instead of pursuing the attention of (the) media.”

It comes every week after the Telegraph reported Royal Mail is investigating claims that folks have been wrongly fined after being despatched letters with new barcoded stamps that have been deemed to be counterfeit.

A Royal Mail spokesman informed PA: “We are working hard to remove counterfeit stamps from circulation.

“We regularly monitor online marketplaces to detect suspicious activity, such as sales of heavily discounted stamps and work closely with retailers and law enforcement agencies to identify those who produce counterfeit stamps.

“We work closely with a number of police forces across the country and in recent cases we have recovered stamps with a retail value of over £250,000.”