Counterfeit Goods Risk Consumers and Fund Organized Crime

Consumer groups warn that dangerous items, ranging from balloons to chargers, are being sold through online marketplaces or social media, endangering children and public health. According to BBC News - Business, Helen Barnham, head of enforcement campaigns at the Intellectual Property Office, described cosmetics and perfume as having been tested with horse urine, posing skin risks. Specific counterfeit items include Fake Labubus with detachable eyes that could be a choking hazard, a Super Mario toy with dangerous chemicals in a suction cup, and K-Pop Demon Hunters dolls that are fake, faulty, and potentially unsafe.

The government is planning new legislation aimed at ensuring online shops have the same responsibilities as High Street shops. Major online platforms say they are working hard to protect customers by removing unsafe and counterfeit goods from sale. Some products sold online have not been subject to the same safety checks required of items sold in retail stores, with testing by The Ladder Association finding every extendable telescopic ladder it bought online failed safety checks.

Cosmetics and perfume, when we had some tested, have had horse urine in them so you don't want to be putting that on your skin.
Helen Barnham, Head of enforcement campaigns at the Intellectual Property Office
She made this statement in an interview with the BBC about counterfeit goods.

Research by the Intellectual Property Office suggests that a quarter of shoppers have knowingly bought counterfeit goods, with clothing, footwear, accessories, and sports products as the most popular purchases. Consumers aged 18 to 44 are most likely to buy counterfeits, and the growth in online shopping has given criminals an easier sales route for counterfeits. Bills are rising and consumers are facing further cost-of-living pressures due to the domino effect of the Iran war, leading people to search online for cheap deals.

Some counterfeit products have been endorsed by influencers to attract younger buyers. Trading standards officers in Swansea have seized hauls of fake goods piled from floor to ceiling in former holding cells, with other counterfeit items including fake Crocs and counterfeit Pandora jewellery.

Most of the public are quite attracted to them but particularly younger people because they are always looking for something that is low-cost.
Helen Barnham, Head of enforcement campaigns at the Intellectual Property Office
She made this statement in an interview with the BBC about counterfeit goods.

The availability of them through social media and online marketplaces makes it easier to find the products they are looking for.
Helen Barnham, Head of enforcement campaigns at the Intellectual Property Office
She made this statement in an interview with the BBC about counterfeit goods.