{"id":7672,"date":"2022-12-08T07:58:48","date_gmt":"2022-12-08T12:58:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.pirg-test.com\/edfund\/?post_type=resource&#038;p=7672"},"modified":"2022-12-08T19:09:16","modified_gmt":"2022-12-09T00:09:16","slug":"finishing-up-your-holiday-shopping-here-are-tips-to-avoid-counterfeits","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/dev.pirg-test.com\/edfund\/resources\/finishing-up-your-holiday-shopping-here-are-tips-to-avoid-counterfeits\/","title":{"rendered":"Finishing up your holiday shopping? Here are tips to avoid counterfeits"},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":false,"_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":""},"campaign_tax":[157],"display_option":[],"issue_tax":[],"resource_type":[67],"region_tax":[],"state":[2],"topic_tax":[124],"class_list":["post-7672","resource","type-resource","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"details":{"helper_taxonomies":{"topics":[124],"collection":false,"press_type":false,"person_type":false,"resource_type":67,"event_type":false,"campaigns":157,"department":false,"level":false,"states":[2],"act_option":false,"display_option":false,"primary":{"topic":124}},"subtitle":"","excerpt":"Counterfeits are most often manufactured overseas. We see knockoff clothing, purses, electronics, toys and more.","featured_image":"","caption_override":"","updated_on":null,"sidebar_action":"","related_event":"","hide_hero_image":false,"location":"internal","external_link":{"publication_name":"","url":""},"file":null,"sidebar_action_query_string":""},"helper_people_group":{"title":"Authors","entities":[{"type":"dynamic","dynamic_person":{"site":16,"people":"128"},"information":{"name":"","image":null,"role":"","biography":"","contact":{"twitter":"","facebook":"","email":"","phone":""}}}]},"helper_downloads":{"title":"Downloads","files":null},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_large_image","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_large_image":{"width":"narrow","image":45391,"caption_override":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You may be scrambling to finish holiday shopping and, with that, comes some desperation. If you\u2019re not careful, it\u2019s easy to accidentally buy counterfeit products.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Counterfeits are most often manufactured overseas. We see knockoff clothing, purses, electronics, toys and more. There are four main problems:<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The items may not meet U.S. product safety standards, particularly for toxics.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The items may be poorly made compared with the real thing, meaning they could wear out or break more quickly, wasting your money and harming the environment.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Buying counterfeit items hurts legitimate companies.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Buying counterfeit goods can support criminal activities, such as forced labor or human trafficking.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMany counterfeit products are low-quality and can cause injuries,\u201d according to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbp.gov\/trade\/fakegoodsrealdangers\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">U.S. Customs and Border Protection<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (CBP).<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regulators often find excessive levels of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nceh\/lead\/prevention\/sources\/consumer-products.htm#:~:text=Lead%20softens%20the%20plastic%20and,between%20the%20lead%20and%20plastics.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lead<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/biomonitoring\/Phthalates_FactSheet.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">phthalates<\/a> and other toxics, which can be particularly harmful to children. Lead and phthalates are often used to soften plastic. Lead is also used to make metals and paint and coatings on clothes and other products more durable. Regulators also find electrical products with fake UL safety certifications, which could mean they could cause a fire or short out and shock you. And they find items that have small parts that break off easily, posing a choking hazard to preschoolers.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In fiscal year 2021, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbp.gov\/newsroom\/stats\/intellectual-property-rights-ipr-seizures\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Customs and Border Protection seized<\/a> 102,490 shipments worth $3.3 billion for copyright infringement, meaning they\u2019re counterfeits. One shipment seized on a given day could contain hundreds or thousands of the same product.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That seizure volume is up 42 percent from the year before. Does this mean counterfeit products are on the rise, or they\u2019ve been coming through at this level for years and are being discovered at ports more? It\u2019s unclear, but regulators know they do not catch everything by a long shot. It\u2019s impossible to inspect or screen every package or container.<\/span>\r\n<h4><strong>Here are tips to avoid buying counterfeit products or tell whether a product you already have is a knockoff:<\/strong><\/h4>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019ve exhaustively looked for an item that\u2019s sold out everywhere and you find it online, be skeptical and do more investigating before buying.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be suspicious of significantly low prices. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce (USCC) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/agportal-s3bucket.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploadedfiles\/Another\/Safeguarding_Consumers\/chamberofcommerce_cpsc_online_counterfeits_final__2_.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">caution consumers <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to watch out for products that are unusually inexpensive compared with other items in the same category. When using a website that has third-party sellers, comparing listings for similar products can be a good way to identify what the average price should be.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the website listing, look for typos, misspellings or mislabelings. Website listings with low-quality, photoshopped pictures of products can also indicate a counterfeit.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be leery of products from unfamiliar sellers or international sellers. They may be more likely to sell counterfeit toys or toys that don\u2019t meet U.S. safety standards.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check whether the manufacturer listed has its own, official website. Legitimate companies will almost always have their own site displaying products and an option to buy directly or find where the item is sold, either locally or online. And if the manufacturer isn\u2019t listed, but it looks like a brand name, that\u2019s a flag too.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have questions about the authenticity of the product, you can reach out to the seller with questions. If they don\u2019t respond, it\u2019s a good indicator of trouble and you just may not want to do business with them.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scrutinize social media posts advertising or recommending a certain product. Consumers should be wary of posts or targeted ad campaigns on social media. A <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ustr.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/files\/Press\/Releases\/2020%20Review%20of%20Notorious%20Markets%20for%20Counterfeiting%20and%20Piracy%20(final).pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">report<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) says that posts and ad campaigns can be a \u201cfast, easy, inexpensive and common tactic\u201d that are used to fool customers into buying counterfeit and pirated products.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you buy the product, take a look at the packaging. The USCC and CPSC <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/agportal-s3bucket.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploadedfiles\/Another\/Safeguarding_Consumers\/chamberofcommerce_cpsc_online_counterfeits_final__2_.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">recommend<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> scrutinizing the labels, packaging and contents. If the packaging has anything suspicious, such as a broken safety seal, it could be a counterfeit product. While a counterfeit may be difficult to spot online, there could be differences in quality that are more visible when you get the product in the mail.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Report any bad experiences. If you believe you\u2019ve purchased a counterfeit or knockoff product, you can report it to <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.saferproducts.gov\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">www.saferproducts.gov<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or call the CPSC at 800-638-2772. <\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"","":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_featured_action","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_featured_action":{"action":"","action_query_string":""}}],"site_specific_content":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Finishing up your holiday shopping? Here are tips to avoid counterfeits<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Counterfeits are most often manufactured overseas. 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