Scams and threats to avoid, plus new security tools
WATCH OUT FOR... Fake stamps being sold online
What’s the threat?
Websites are selling fake Royal Mail stamps made in China at “too good to be true” prices. An investigation from the Daily Telegraph found four Chinese companies offering to print up to one million counterfeit stamps a week. These are sold for as little as 4p each before being sent to the UK. Both consumers and small retailers are buying them without realising they’re fake.
Royal Mail had been charging people who received letters with fake stamps a £5 fee, but has now waived this while it builds a scanner tool for its app that will let you check whether a stamp is genuine. During the pause, Royal Mail will add a sticker to envelopes that have a fake stamp. However, if you’re the sender and your address is written on the item, you’ll be fined £5 instead.
How can you stay safe?
Look out for suspiciously low prices when shopping for stamps online. Royal Mail doesn’t sell stamps at large discounts – check its prices at www.snipca.com/50303. Most of the stamps sold by Royal Mail are in sheets of 25, 50 and 100, so be wary of those that aren’t.
Scammers are unlikely to use photos of fake stamps when advertising them online, so make sure you inspect them closely when they arrive. Counterfeit stamps look very convincing (see photos), but they do tend to have strange or uneven perforations around the edge. They also have an unusual shine or colouring, and are stuck on what appears to be greaseproof paper.
In addition, genuine stamps have a barcode that is printed in relief, so it can be felt. The fakes have ‘flat’ barcodes. Read more on Royal Mail’s site: www. snipca.com/50302.
New tools Use passkeys in iOS WhatsApp
You can now sign into WhatsApp on iPhones using your fingerprint or face after it added support for passkeys. This means hackers would be unable to infiltrate your account even if they had stolen your username and password. You can use passkeys to sign in even when your device is offline.
Open WhatsApp, then click Settings, followed by Account
