Looks can be illusory! If created, they’re being counterfeited.

If you discover an incredible online deal for a branded bag or a branded watch, the maximum chance is, it’s not real – that’s the cautionary issued by the Better Business Bureau officials. Legal authorities declare that the world of web is teeming with luxury counterfeits.

From bags, jewelry and watches to electric cables, cosmetics, healthcare supplies and even pharmaceuticals – fraudsters leave no goods categories intact. If you think that there’s nothing bad with shopping to get an attractive deal, you are unknowingly supporting impostors, which can have severe consequences to your money and can provide funding to other immoral activities.

In fact, the counterfeits that are being recognized by most of us as fake, account for only 4 percent of the counterfeit problem, which signifies that the remaining 96 percent of the counterfeit problem comprises the hazardous replicas that can harm us.

Top 5 Ways to Ensure Originality of Products

Currently, although the problem of fake products has become more threatening; however, there are certain precautionary ways that can help you to avoid purchasing counterfeits; the top protection is to be vigilant, alert and to understand ways to spot forgeries yourself.

Beware of Too Good Deals: Be careful about deals that seem to be too good to be real. Although, not all counterfeits are sold at lower prices compared to their original counterparts; however, a dreamlike deal is one of the guaranteed signs of a fake product. 

Look for Authenticity Seals: To ensure the genuineness of products, many companies sell their products in original packaging that bear their corporate identity. Moreover, they are equipped with “authenticity seals”. By entering the security code, the label ID, and examining the seal, all consumers can check the authenticity of any product at any time on the company’s product authenticity platform.

 Beware of Poorly Made Products: Look out for products that appear implausible or are visibly poorly made. Mostly, it is seen that quality control in counterfeiting products is absent, and thus, you may possibly be capable to identify a counterfeit purely based on its craftsmanship.

 Check the Packaging Cautiously: Respectable companies characteristically take extreme care in their product packaging process. Watch out packaging with inferior printing or fading colors, flimsy packaging, or packages that seem to have been damaged.

Furthermore, take a minute to care to read the package. Spelling mistakes or grammatical errors can be commonly seen on the packaging of counterfeit products. Look out for the model number on the packaging and compare it to the model number of the product, and cautiously inspect tags or labels on clothing. Try to find the contact information of the manufacturer. Genuine companies provide a contact number(s) or at least an address of communication at which customers can contact them.

 Search for a Safety Certification Label: All electrical products along with several other products that may possibly pose some kind of safety threat will have at least one or more safety certification label on its packaging if it is manufactured by a genuine company. In the United States, the most common label is the UL (Underwriters Laboratory); its major competitor ETL mark is also a significant certification in the United States.

Similarly, the CE mark in Europe is mandatory on all electrical products, and the CSA (Canadian Standards Association) mark in Canada is common. Search for at least one of these labels on the electrical products you buy. But you should keep in mind that counterfeiters might often incorporate false marks on their fake products; thus, you need to take a closer look at them to identify counterfeit products.

Get acquainted with these marks by looking at the original products in your home and in shops. You should remember that the marks for a particular certification are not every time of the same size; however, they will always have the identical design and font, and they come equipped with a control number for that particular product.

Always remember that even if you have bought a counterfeit branded product for a price far lesser than that of a genuine product; if it’s counterfeit, it’s still not a good deal. What’s worse?

Buying of a counterfeit product could be funding illegitimate activities, comprising child enslavement. If you have bought fake luxury products, you must file a consumer grievance with the Better Business Bureau, or you can also file an online complaint with the Consumer Product Safety Commission.