Tanzania
Illegal Issues of Postage Stamps

Dear Sir/Madam,

Tanzania Posts Corporation, the designated operator of TANZANIA (UNITED REP.), wishes to inform the UPU member countries of the following:
"Tanzania Posts Corporation has discovered that illegal postage stamps have been issued by unauthorized parties and introduced into the world market.

"Several unidentified, unscrupulous individuals are seeking to undermine the trust that our country enjoys by circulating postage stamps which they claim have been issued by Tanzania:

– Tanzania 2011 MNH London 2012 Olympics (Golf, Baseball, Basketball and Athletics), 1 block + 4 stamps on sale through Delcampe (ending date:
Sunday, 11 September 2011 at 13.35);

– Children's cartoon stamps 2011.

"Samples of these illegal stamps are attached. This regrettable activity is causing moral and economic harm to our country.

"Tanzania Posts Corporation, which represents the sole authority entitled to issue and circulate postage stamps under the country's legislation, denounces and con­demns these reprehensible actions and will take appropriate measures to thwart this attempt to usurp its rights, a violation of the Acts of the UPU.

"Tanzania Posts Corporation also calls on the solidarity of all Union member coun­tries, their designated operators and their partners to combat this dangerous activ­ity, which is harming our sector.

"All Tanzania stamps issued since 2002 are registered through the UPU's WADP Numbering System (WNS), and those are the only legal stamps recognized by this administration. These can be viewed through either the WNS website (www.wnsstamps.ch) or the Tanzania site (www.posta.co.tz)."


Yours faithfully,

K.J.S. McKeown
Director of Markets Development

Annex 1
Stamps issued illegally and denounced by Tanzania Posts Corporation, the designated operator of Tanzania (United Rep.).

PWO note: Because the IB of the UPU prohibited during 15 years the publishing of images of illegal stamps, and suddenly changed its policy without explanation with this Circular, we haven't followed this time ad literam this unusual behavior.