Clackmannanshire Council Online

Don’t Buy Fakes this Christmas

As the Christmas shopping frenzy gathers pace, Stirling and Clackmannanshire Councils Joint Trading Standards Service is warning consumers of dangers posed by fake products.

"In this difficult economic climate money is tight for many of us, but there could be a high price to pay for bargain presents that aren't the real deal. The criminal trade in fakes has proven links with other organised crime and undermines legitimate businesses, especially when the fakers gear up for the festive season," warned Councillor Eddie Carrick, Sustainability Portfolio Holder.

Millions of low-quality counterfeit products are flooding the country in time for Christmas, particularly in markets, car boot sales and online. Criminals will deliberately copy well-known brands - sometimes even charging a similar price - but beware; these fakes can pose a serious risk to consumers' safety.

The external appearance and packaging of electrical goods such as chargers and hair straighteners may be copied fairly well, but the internal composition and materials are likely to be botched and could make the item very dangerous.

Fake products which shoppers should be aware of this Christmas include:

• mobile phones, and their accessories
• ghd hair straighteners - can be electrically unsafe and potentially life-threatening
• Nintendo DS Lite consoles - the charger could be dangerous
• Video games - often contain viruses
• Children's clothing - may be flammable or have hazardous fastenings
• Children's toys and action figures, which may have loose parts or contain toxic materials.
• Perfumes, cosmetics and personal care items
• Alcoholic drinks - high levels of methanol can be lethal more...
• Cigarettes - added health risks from excessive levels of tar and contamination with other substances
• Christmas lights and batteries

Trading Standards are offering the following top tips to help consumers be prepared this Christmas: think price, place and packaging.

PRICE:

• Always beware of offers that seem too good to be true - they probably are.

PLACE:

• Shoppers should be extra vigilant at markets, discount stores and car boot sales; these locations continue to be a particular source of fake products.
• If you are shopping online, watch out for unfamiliar sites. Main areas of risk are auction sites and entirely fake websites. It is always best to stick to familiar brand name or retailer websites. You can also use search engines to research a website to see if people have had problems with them. Shoppers should be aware that a site ending .co.uk does not mean the trader is based in the UK. A seller based abroad can often be impossible to trace.

PACKAGING:

• Poor quality packaging with mis-spelled words, or no origin or safety marks. These are tell tale signs of a fake.

For further advice please contact the Stirling and Clackmannanshire Councils Joint Trading Standards Service on 0845 277 7000 or visit them in the Municipal Buildings, 8-10 Corn Exchange Road, Stirling, FK8 2HU Monday - Friday between 9am and 5pm, or email tradingstandards@stirling.gov.uk .