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In this issue:
 Today marks the 21st World Anti-Counterfeiting Day
The aim is to raise awareness of the problems associated with counterfeit goods, as well as piracy. Counterfeit goods can be found almost anywhere and with the growing trend to shop online, extra care needs to be taken when buying goods.
There are many potential harmful and risks from counterfeit goods include poor quality and often unsafe products.
Fakes cost more because:
- They can carry significant health and safety risks, even endangering lives in the case of counterfeit alcohol, tobacco, medicines, car parts, electrical goods and many other types of products;
- Workers for legitimate manufacturers lose their jobs to counterfeit producers;
- Pirated software, music and movies can cause computers to crash or be attacked;
- The money from the sale of counterfeits goes to organized criminal networks through which it is used to fund other illegal activities;
Trading Standards advice - How to stay safe and avoid buying counterfeit goods
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Learn to spot a fake and trust your instincts – if a deal is too good to be true, the product is probably fake. Counterfeit goods such as computer games, clothing, perfume, electrical hair straighteners and jewellery may appear to be a bargain, but in practice they rarely are. The quality is often very poor.
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Shop at reputable retailers – you can find out if a retailer is authorised to sell a certain brand by calling the manufacturer or checking its website.
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Be particularly careful when buying online. Online auction sites are rife with counterfeits, and since you can’t inspect the goods first, it’s hard to tell what you’re buying. Look for sellers with lots of good feedback and ask questions about where they got the merchandise. Also ask for the seller’s address and phone number; if they won’t give it to you, there may be something amiss. Spam emails will almost always direct you to illegitimate sites. If you order from one of these sites, chances are you’ll get fake goods–if anything at all.
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Ensure the website address begins ‘https’ at the payment stage – this indicates a secure payment.
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Check the spelling and grammar on the website and of the URL– often the people behind these sites do not pay a lot of attention or care to this detail. Fraudsters may also try to deceive you by slightly changing the spelling of a well-known brand or shop in the website address.
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Be careful when shopping abroad. You can find counterfeit products just about anywhere, but in some developing nations and in popular worldwide tourist destinations, you can be almost certain that the goods you’re buying are counterfeit. Once again, if a deal is too good to be true, the product’s probably a fake.
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For
more information on scams, visit: www.coventry.gov.uk/scams
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