Counterfeit products can be really unsafe for consumers. It becomes difficult for consumers to identify the original products. The list is huge ranging from phone accessories to automobiles to apparels to watches. We all have unintentionally bought these at some point in time. Consumers are spending their money on the brands they are not getting.

Most of us count every single penny before spending and spending that amount into what is not original is heart-breaking. It’s not always about money. Counterfeits can impact consumer health too. As these products do not abide by the health and safety regulations. Counterfeits use substandard materials to lower the costing and who knows they might be using the substances not approved. Electronics items may contain cheap wiring that may catch fire, apparels might contain illegal & harmful chemical substances which may lead to allergic reactions.

For instance, Counterfeit medicines can be fatal.

Counterfeit pharmaceutical formulations can impose serious health issues and are a big threat to the life of consumers. They can create a multitude of problems not only for the consumers but also for the manufacturers and the retailers. It’s even staking the credibility of Food & Drug Administration. Counterfeit medicine is a vast market and fast growing also because of the increasing demand for cheap drugs. US govt. seized counterfeit medicines worth $28.1 million in the year 2008 (Chaudhry and Stumpf, 2011) and the numbers are growing exponentially every year. This market has grown so much that it now becomes difficult to differentiate between the two. Visual inspection has become ineffective leaving the chemical analysis as the only option to reveal the identity whether legitimate or not.

Counterfeit electronics can be dangerous

Counterfeit electronics appliances may not last long because of the substandard materials being used in their manufacturing to meet the low costing. Their internal wiring may be cheap and might even cause a fire. Even the shelf life might be less than the original one.

It’s not always about money. Sometimes, consumers are happy about buying a cheap product. But awareness must be created among the consumers about the long-term repercussions. They should receive what they are buying for. Following a few tips, one can easily identify fake products. So, be a smart consumer and a happy consumer.