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.
Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith told BBC Breakfast: “China is behind it.”
A Royal Mail spokesman said: “We are working hard to remove counterfeit stamps from circulation.”
Consumers are being warned to look out for strange perforations around the edge of a stamp, a shine to the surface or the colour looking off.
An investigation by the Daily Telegraph found that four Chinese companies had offered to print up to one million counterfeit stamps a week, with each stamp being sold for as little as 4p each before being sent to the UK.
The fakes have been found for sale on various websites, the paper said, and they were also bought by small retailers who did not realise they were counterfeit.
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