Congratulations, LifeSmarts Poster Winners!

Congratulations, LifeSmarts' Be Safe Buy Real poster winners!

In April 2022, the National Consumers League’s LifeSmarts program launched the Be Safe Buy Real digital poster contest in a collaboration with Underwriters Laboratories’ anti-counterfeiting team to give students and educators a deeper understanding of the global issue of counterfeit goods and its impact on individuals, communities, and economies.

This year, LifeSmarts integrated Underwriters Laboratories’ anti-counterfeiting content, Be Safe Buy Real, into its consumer rights and responsibilities-focused content. LifeSmarts invited all student participants to learn about counterfeit goods and create and share informational posters to communicate their knowledge of fake products.

Be Safe Buy Real is pleased to provide an educational grant to LifeSmarts to support the project and reward individual students and teams who excel at creating anti-counterfeiting messaging and outreach. We are honored to partner with LifeSmarts in this effort and to help young consumers understand the danger of counterfeit products.

Sean Slattery, West Chicago High School, Illinois

"I did not realize that counterfeiting was such a widespread problem. I am now eager to participate in the movement against counterfeit goods."

Levi Frisbie, Blair Oaks High School, Missouri

"I learned all about counterfeit electronics including the dangers of these products, common types of counterfeited goods, and how to spot them. We were especially surprised and intrigued to learn the physical dangers of counterfeit items."

Michaela Joy Patterson, Midcities Montessori, Texas

"I learned quite a lot to be honest, before starting my poster I did not know how extensive counterfeit products were. I thought that there was such a small amount it didn't affect anyone. I now know how wrong I was, I never knew how much they affect not only people but the economy as well."