A MAN has been jailed for 27 months for buying, washing and then selling stamps on eBay, costing the Royal Mail approximately £100,000, it was reported on Monday (28).
Mubashir Khan, a father of three, ran the illegal stamp washing business from his home in Birmingham. Police found almost 60 kilos of stamps at his home during a raid.
Khan was caught in October last year after he started using the stamps on his own post. The 43-year-old had previously admitted a charge of supplying articles for fraud.
Ben Gow, prosecuting at Birmingham Crown Court, said: "He was purchasing used stamps and he then adapted them so they would pass off as unused.
"He then sold to purchasers, primarily on eBay between October 2016 and October 2018."
Khan bought first and second class stamps in bulk from charities and subjected them to chemical process to remove cancellation markings.
He sold them on e-Bay at a steep discount, often up to 50 per cent of their face value.
According to the Birmingham Mail, over the two years Khan sold stamps with a face value of £241,000 and received £114,000.
In passing sentence Judge Paul Farrer QC said that Khan had sold stamps on eBay on 3,000 occasions.
"I conclude this was a planned enterprise. It was designed and indeed did yield substantial sums. It caused very significant losses to Royal Mail and there was some element of sophistication."
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