Royal Mail launches counterfeit-spotting app feature

Royal Mail in the UK has introduced a new feature in its app – used to track items and buy postage – that allows customers check if a stamp is genuine or counterfeit.

The update has been made possible by the introduction last year of a scannable barcode attached to each stamp, which are now the only type that can legally be used in the UK. It has been launched following a controversy over customers being charged a £5 penalty if they received mail on which a counterfeit stamp had been placed by the sender.

According to a report in the Guardian newspaper, some customers whose letters were affected claimed that the stamps used were bought from Post Office branches, reputable retailers, or even Royal Mail’s website.

In a nod to the ongoing row over the charges – which have been suspended for now – the company has also appointed an expert from stamp dealers Stanley Gibbons to serve as an independent arbitrator in "cases requiring resolution."

"The stamp scanner has been designed to provide extra reassurance to customers who may be unsure about whether a stamp is counterfeit or not," said Royal Mail in a statement. "Customers can use the app to check whether it is a known counterfeit, preventing them from inadvertently becoming victims of fraud."

The free-to-use app has been downloaded onto more than 12m phones and receives 4m unique visitors each month.

Royal Mail's advice on counterfeit stamps is that purchasers should be suspicious if they are being offered at a discount, have an unusually shiny surface, are stuck on to what appears to be greaseproof paper, and are being sold in sheets other than the standard 25, 50 or 100 units.

The company says that the introduction of barcoded stamps has reduced the number of counterfeit stamps in its network by around 90 per cent.