Warning issued over counterfeit toys this Christmas
Date published:
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.
Nicholas Lane, 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 6262to make a complaint or ask for advice.
Notes to editors:
2. 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. 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.
3. 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.
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