Beware of Festive Fakes
With the Festive season approaching, West Lothian Council's Trading Standards officers are advising consumers in West Lothian to be alert as to counterfeit goods.
Christmas is an expensive time of year and the last thing that anyone wants to do is to spend money on goods which are of a shoddy standard or which are dangerous. In the long run it can be far more expensive buying counterfeit goods and it could put someone's health and safety at risk.
Counterfeit Goods
The people who manufacture or sell counterfeit goods are often also involved in organised crime. Only buy alcohol or tobacco from a reputable trader and check for spelling mistakes, altered logos, low quality labels and packaging.
Counterfeit or illegal cigarettes
Foreign safety warnings, or no health warnings at all, are indicators of counterfeit or illegal cigarettes - all packets of cigarettes, cigars and hand rolling tobacco require a colour warning (photo or text) on the packet. Genuine cigarettes should be marked as UK Duty Paid and the person selling the cigarettes should be on the Scottish Tobacco Retailers Register. Alcohol with strength of 30% AVB or above should carry the UK Duty Stamp. The actual contents of illicit alcohol and tobacco products are the cheapest the counterfeiter can get and there are no quality control measures in the production process.
Other Counterfeit Goods
Other products commonly counterfeited are designer brand clothing, perfumes and computer games. Only buy from reputable sources and check the labelling and packaging for any tell-tale signs. If you are buying from the internet, be certain you know who you are dealing with.
Remember, if it seems too good to be true then it probably is!
How to report suspicious goods
If you spot something suspicious or have information on possible counterfeit goods please call Trading Standards on 01506 282500.
