29 November will be marked in the diaries of retailers and shoppers alike as Black Friday, the growing phenomenon being driven by the discounts on offer, ICCE says there is a risk of counterfeit products being sold to “innocent consumers”.
ICCE, the Imaging Consumables Coalition of Europe, Middle East & Africa is warning consumers that counterfeiters will also be taking the opportunity to offload poor quality, and even dangerous fakes from trusted brands onto the market. ICCE sated: “They will take advantage of other brands’ reputation to make a quick profit and won’t care about the potential consequences, including damage to printing equipment or the dangers of using hazardous chemicals.”
“This year UK shoppers are forecast to spend up to £7 billion ($8.99 billion/ € 8.13 billion) on Black Friday and the following Monday, now known as Cyber Monday, but the very success of the weekend is making it attractive to unscrupulous criminals and organised counterfeiting gangs”, ICCE said.
ICCE explained that the sheer volume of sales and interest in cheaper deals means it is easier to hide counterfeit products in plain sight. Low prices that would make consumers suspicious at any other time of the year are seen as normal this weekend since even legitimate products can be heavily discounted.
“The rise in online shopping has also provided a new route for organised crime to push their counterfeit products onto the market as gangs target the most popular e-commerce sites. Cyber Monday, which focuses on online sales as well as electronic equipment, can offer a boost to counterfeiters passing off fake goods and associated supplies such as printer cartridges,” ICCE added.
