5 Counterfeit Products with Serious Side Effects
5 Counterfeit Products with Serious Side Effects
If you end up with a counterfeit, no harm done, right? Wrong. People who buy counterfeit products always pay for it in some other way – even if they don’t know it’s a fake. Counterfeits are a huge risk and offer no guarantee of safety. They may destroy your property, like a fire caused by a counterfeit battery. In the absolutely worst case, they may actually hurt you, or someone you love.
Counterfeits: endangering you and loved ones
Some of the most dangerous counterfeit products are those that you directly ingest or place in contact with your body. For instance, fake painkillers and anti-malarial drugs have been responsible for many deaths all around the world*1 .Meanwhile, fake cosmetics or perfumes can burn or disfigure you for life, and fake electronic products can explode, leak acids or start a fire in your home*2. Here is a list of products that are particularly dangerous when targeted by counterfeiters:
- Medicines
- Cosmetics
- Baby products
- Electronics
- Adult toys
Yes, counterfeiters even target baby products, with potentially catastrophic consequences for both child and parents.
Source *1: Intellectual Property Rights, Fiscal Year 2018 Seizure Statistics; U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Trade and Border Protection Office of Trade
Source *2: Counterfeit iPhone Adapters; UL White Paper
Why are counterfeits so dangerous?
As the products of blatantly criminal enterprises, it should be no surprise that counterfeits are dangerous to your health. Criminals don’t worry about keeping consumers safe. They don’t care about product quality, or about whether the chemicals they use are dangerous. And they don’t mind if bad design or poor workmanship eventually result in electrocution. And they certainly don’t care about the brand they’ve pirated – it’s not their reputation on the line.
Fake products create real pain
Fake products are a real threat to things that are priceless: your family, your health and your company’s reputation.
Counterfeit products put consumers at risk of exposure to toxic chemicals, including arsenic and mercury. That’s not what anyone wants to have in their skin cream or baby powder.
Companies looking to save money by including counterfeiters in their supply chains risk ruining their brands, and open themselves to lawsuits and criminal charges. Counterfeits just aren’t worth the risk: the dangers of fakes are real.