new tamper proof stamps

custardy

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/02/16/changes-are-designed-to-stamp-out-mail-cheats-115875-21127338/



about time too

soolin

I was just about to post this, I only found out about it today. Is it just 1st and 2nd class from tomorrow and is it planned to go to the large letter ones as well?

custardy

ive no other info than this
RM is an information vacuum for those that work for them

frivolous_fay

custardy wrote: »

ive no other info than this
RM is an information vacuum for those that work for them

It's not just you guys, it's for everyone

I take it the little sausages break off? How will it stop soaking? (The link is blocked here )

custardy

if you soaked it would seperate from the backing and the little bits would come loose i would think


just for you

Tamper-proof stamps are to be issued to thwart fraudsters who peel off or soak old ones to reuse them.

The trick costs the struggling Royal Mail hundreds of thousands of pounds a year - and is soaring as credit crunch-hit customers try to get away without paying.

The new security Machin stamps have two sticky panels that tear if they're peeled off, and are printed on special paper with the words Royal Mail repeated - similar to security features used on bank notes to stop forgeries.

A Royal Mail source revealed stamp fraud was rife, explaining: "Most letters do get properly franked, but very occasionally something will get through, such as when the machines can't read the postcode.

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"We've also heard about people washing mail to get the black ink off. It's incredible what some people will do to save a bit of money."

The 36p first-class and 27p second-class tamper-proof stamps, which are also selfadhesive rather than lick-and-stick, will be issued from tomorrow.

A spokesman for the post service said: "We constantly review security features."

From April, first class will be 39p and second 30p.

mikey72

I just peel back around the perforations very slightly, then tear or cut with scissors, and pritt to a new enevelope. But only when I have addressed my envelope wrongly, and it's a brand new stamp that I bought, and haven't yet sent through the post of course. If I haven't used it, why can't I take it off one envelope, and use on any other?

custardy

mikey72 wrote: »

I just peel back around the perforations very slightly, then tear or cut with scissors, and pritt to a new enevelope. But only when I have addressed my envelope wrongly, and it's a brand new stamp that I bought, and haven't yet sent through the post of course. If I haven't used it, why can't I take it off one envelope, and use on any other?

yes thats exactly the situation this is aimed at
i mean i stick stamps to the wrong envelope every day

TurkishDelight

mikey72 wrote: »

I just peel back around the perforations very slightly, then tear or cut with scissors, and pritt to a new enevelope. But only when I have addressed my envelope wrongly, and it's a brand new stamp that I bought, and haven't yet sent through the post of course. If I haven't used it, why can't I take it off one envelope, and use on any other?

You do have a point, but that's not really what they are trying to stop, just a side effect.

Our posties quite often scribble pen over un-postmarked stamps, but I guess that's not really ideal as it's too easy to miss.

jasmineswhiskers

mikey72 wrote: »

I just peel back around the perforations very slightly, then tear or cut with scissors, and pritt to a new enevelope. But only when I have addressed my envelope wrongly, and it's a brand new stamp that I bought, and haven't yet sent through the post of course. If I haven't used it, why can't I take it off one envelope, and use on any other?

In this case isn't it easier to stick a new address label over the old one.

mikey72

custardy wrote: »

yes thats exactly the situation this is aimed at
i mean i stick stamps to the wrong envelope every day

If the post office can't manage to get a bit of (water soluable) ink on the top of an envelope, it's a bit sad they have to come up with other ideas to compensate. And I pay for the stamp to post with, not for a one off chance to stick it to an envelope. But ok, I'll just cross out the old address and write a new one on then and see if that'll be acceptable.

omelette451

They can't be bothered making their machines work properly so instead they spend millions on changing the stamp design... Genius!

I can understand the point behind it but I'm one of those people who often sticks stamps on first, then makes a mistake and has to put it on a different envelope. Now I'm going to be charged double for the privilege of posting a letter. Hmmm.

I'm not going to worry too much though. Royal Mail is such a slow-moving old-fashioned waste-of-space beast that it will always be easy to find an alternative solution well before they try to counter it. Indeed people on this thread have already found two clever ways to get round the problem - and did RM really not see them coming?