pillsPharmaceuticals

Of all counterfeit goods, bogus meds may be the scariest--it’s unlikely anyone would willingly take them. But buying pills from unlicensed internet pharmacies is not just an issue of skirting your medical bills. Instead, many of these medications are either missing active ingredients--which can be deadly, in cases such as heart disease and malaria--or contaminated with damaging ingredients.

Medicine fraud is becoming an epidemic. Read the News section for recent pharmaceutical stories, or click the following links for more information and assistance in avoiding fakes.

 

 

toys'Toys

Toys--if they look the same as the real thing they’re okay right? Wrong. Many counterfeit toys are made using non-regulation materials. And by “non-regulation,” we don’t mean cheaper plastic. We mean lead paint. They aren’t tested to comply with safety standards, which can result in more than a broken toy, but in a dangerous one. In the past, counterfeit toys have burst into flames, and defective ones have posed serious chocking hazards to children.

fashionclothingClothing

Running in sneakers without foot protection? Wearing shirts dyed with illegal or flammable chemicals? That’s no one’s idea of chic. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking knockoffs are fashionable--they’re not, and neither are the corners counterfeiters cut to give consumers a cheap thrill.

perfumesLuxury Goods

Good, non-toxic perfume is composed of hundreds, sometimes thousands of ingredients. Did you know it takes 60,000 roses to distill one ounce of perfume oil? That means each drop is 60 roses. Understanding the intricacies of producing luxury goods, and procuring their materials, makes it easy to see how very different knockoffs are from the real thing.

And they’re not just different. Counterfeit perfume, for instance, can use anything from urine to germy pond water as a stabilizer.

Not exactly what you had in mind...

 

car keysCars

Counterfeit auto parts! The road is not the place to use the inauthentic. Remember the time the car in front of you stopped short and you thanked your lucky car stars that your brakes are good? Now imagine the same scene, with brake pads stuffed with compressed wood chips or grass. Outlandish, yes. But it’s also true, and has been responsible for injuring and killing many. The same goes for steering, airbags, and anything else that makes your ride all zippy and fun at 7am, when the same can’t be said for groggy ol’ you.

It’s probably obvious now that all that rigorous consumer testing is important, and not just something to hype in a four-wheel steering commercial.

 

credit cardConsumer Goods

Consumer goods like electrical outlets and hairdryers should definitely be tested, no? We can deal with frying our hair every once in a while, but burning the house down? A tad more expensive than your normal morning routine.

When it comes to technical consumer goods, like mobile phones, electrical charges can go utterly haywire, causing fires or much worse. Phony household products are just a mess, including ingredients that are often far too abrasive or potent for your health.

 

 

 

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