Trading Standards Service (TSS) has recently seized over £22,000
worth of fake toys, including Labubu dolls, K Pop Demon Hunters
merchandise, Lego figures and Disney's Lilo & Stitch
products.
The items were seized from a number of high street retail
premises and shopping centres. Some were sold for £80,
potentially misleading buyers into thinking they were genuine.
The warning to the public from TSS is that counterfeit goods are
unsafe and poorly made, putting consumers at risk. They undermine
legitimate businesses that pay taxes and create jobs, while
profits often fund organised crime.
, TSS Area Inspector,
encouraged customers to always buy from trusted retailers, and if
an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.
He said: “With Christmas shopping in full swing, cheaper
alternatives may tempt families, but counterfeit toys carry
hidden risks. Counterfeiting funds organised crime, including
money laundering and forced labour, harming communities. Trading
Standards Service will not hesitate to take enforcement action
against any trader found to be selling counterfeit goods.”
TSS offers the following advice to avoid buying fakes:
- Always buy from reputable traders.
- Check the quality of the goods. Fakes will not be as good as
the real thing.
- Check labels and packaging for spelling mistakes and poorly
printed logos.
- Check the spelling and grammar on websites – often the people
behind these sites do not pay a lot of attention or care to this
detail. Fraudsters may also try to deceive you by slightly
changing the spelling of a well-known brand or shop in the
website address.
- When buying online look to see where the trader is based and
whether a postal address is provided – just because the web
address has ‘UK' do not assume the seller is based in the UK.
- Ask the trader if there is a returns policy or guarantee.
Most rogue traders will not offer this.
- If you are not sure whether the items are genuine, do not
enter your payment details – it is not worth the risk.
Anyone who has information in relation to individuals or
businesses involved in the selling of counterfeit goods, or if
anyone believes they have purchased such goods, should contact
Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 or contact Consumerline to make a
complaint or ask for advice - www.nidirect.gov.uk/services/contact-consumerline-make-complaint-or-ask-advice
Notes to editors:
1. The “Fake Toys, Real Harms” campaign – spearheaded by the
Intellectual Property Office (IPO) along with leading toy
retailers, local authorities and social media influencers – is
highlighting the dangers identified by expert testing of the
goods seized - Fake toys, real harms: experts
warn parents of dangerous fake toys - GOV.UK. These include
counterfeit toys containing banned chemicals linked to cancer,
dangerous choking hazards, and other serious risks – including in
toys marketed at toddlers and infants.
- 259,000 fake toys worth more than £3.5m have been seized at
the UK border so far this year - equivalent to 24 tonnes of
goods
- 90% of these - 236,000 items - were counterfeit Labubu dolls,
seized before they could reach UK consumers
- 75% of seized counterfeit toys fail safety tests with banned
chemicals and choking hazards found, while 46% of those
purchasing them experienced serious safety issues
- The safety concerns chime with consumer experiences of
counterfeit toys: research for the IPO found nearly half
(46%) of those who purchased counterfeits reported problems
ranging from toys breaking almost instantly to unsafe labelling,
toxic smells and even reports of illness in children.
2. The Department for the Economy's Trading Standards Service
(TSS) has no statutory remit for product safety matters. In
Northern Ireland that responsibility rests with the District
Councils' Environmental Health Departments. This enforcement
responsibility is different from Britain, where local authority
Trading Standards departments do have responsibility for product
safety issues.
