Counterfeit goods: How to tell the real from the rip-off
As the world has grown smaller, more and more foreign-made goods are hitting our shores. Among them, a flood of fakes, fueled in part by the Internet and the ease with which we can buy products directly. Last year, U.S. law enforcement agencies—including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations—shut down 29,684 websites that were illegally selling counterfeit goods online. Buying counterfeit goods—whether online or in person—comes with a big risk. Not only do fakes cost U.S. businesses as much as $250 billion in lost trade annually, but many are also downright dangerous.
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2015/05/28/counterfeit-goods-how-to-tell-real-from-rip-off/
Lear MoreAnti-counterfeit Food Packaging Market is Expected to Reach $62.5 Billion, Globally, by 2020 – Allied Market Research
A new report by Allied Market Research, titled, “Global Anti-counterfeit Food & Beverage Packaging Market- Industry Analysis, Size, Growth, Trends, Opportunities, and Forecast, 2014-2020“, forecasts the market to grow at a CAGR of 16.1% during 2015 – 2020. Holograms segment would enjoy the leading position in overall authentication technology market, through to 2020. RFID technology exhibits fastest growth at 20.4% CAGR during the forecast period. Every year millions of people are deceived into buying counterfeited food and beverages, posing significant health and safety risks, leading the demand of anti-counterfeit packaging (ACP).
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Salford couple smuggled 25 tonnes of illegal tobacco worth almost £4m into the UK
A Salford couple have been jailed after smuggling 25 tonnes of fake tobacco in a fraud costing the taxpayer almost £4m. Feng Gao and his partner Mingshu Yang shipped boxloads of illicit hand rolling tobacco into the country. The criminal duo, of St Heliers Drive, Salford, concealed the illegal tobacco in false soles and shelves as they shipped shoes and furniture to the North West. After years of surveillance on the couple, Gao, 39, was finally arrested in May 2013 when customs officers found thousands of fake tobacco packages at an address in Liverpool.
Lear MoreEnd European agreements with tobacco industry designed to curb smuggling, urge experts
The agreements drawn up between the European Union (EU) and the four major transnational tobacco companies, to crack down on cigarette smuggling and recoup lost tax revenues, are failing to meet their stated aims, concludes research published online in the journal Tobacco Control. They are littered with loopholes, which the tobacco companies can easily exploit, and should be abandoned, say the researchers, ahead of World Tobacco Day at the end of this month.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-05-european-agreements-tobacco-industry-curb.html
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Fake herb scandal hits liquor industry
The “fake herb” scandal triggered by products sold by health food manufacturer Naturalendo Tech has hit the KOSDAQ bourse and the television home shopping industry.
Now it is the liquor business that is facing the consequences.
Bekseju, a rice wine manufactured by Kooksoondang, has been found to contain cheaper but banned Cynanchumauriculatum royal, instead of Cynanchumwilfordii, or “baeksuo,” according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20150527001005
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Alibaba seeks to legitimize China’s shoes counterfeiting ‘MECCA’
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. is taking a different approach to fighting the prevalence of counterfeit products on its websites – and it’s not what the industry has been calling out for. After luxury brand Kering SA filed a lawsuit against the Chinese conglomerate regarding allegations of supporting the sale of fake products, Reuters reports that Alibaba has started a pilot program that aims to help local companies improve their products and allow them to compete with bigger names.
Lear MoreDiesel Speeds Up Measures Against Counterfeiting
Diesel has started a comprehensive offensive strategy to protect its brand. Since the arrival of Nicola Formichetti as artistic director, the company has implemented its “reboot” program, including a strong focus on the quality and positioning of its collections. Diesel CEO, Alessandro Bogliolo has launched a global platform to defend the brand, its innovation and creativity content which have always been part of the Diesel DNA. The company has been actively battling issues of counterfeiting and illegal distribution, with a special focus on the online market and trafficking through international customs.
Stop to tobacco smuggling urged
The alarming rise in seizures of contraband and counterfeit cigarettes by customs and police authorities highlights the need for stricter penalties to combat cigarette smuggling, according to Winston and Camel maker JT International (Philippines) Inc. (JTIP). JTIP general manager Manos Koukourakis said the presence of smuggled and fake tobacco in some areas of the country are indicative that both local and foreign-based smuggling syndicates continue to operate despite intensified efforts to curb the illegal trade in cigarettes.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/693310/stop-to-tobacco-smuggling-urged
Lear MoreAlibaba’s New Bar Code Could Fight Return Fraud
Alibaba has started using a modified version of a QR code to fight counterfeit fraud and enable individualized marketing. And the payments potential for such an offering is huge, delivering something akin to a non-wireless version of item-level RFID.
The new code is like a QR code only in appearance, and that appearance was chosen for the familiarity that consumers and merchants have with scanning a QR code. The identifier, which is unique to each individual item on a store’s shelf, can add a huge amount of data to each purchase.
Don’t get stung by sale of fake Maltese honey
Honey purporting to be Maltese can be found on every shelf, dressed up in fancy logos and promoted as artisan ware, but be careful not to be sweetened by the labels.
It is sold in grocery shops, confectioneries, supermarkets and even at corner bazaars. But is it possible that Maltese bees produce so much honey? And is there any way to tell whether the honey we are buying has been produced by bees pollinating local flowers?
In Malta and Gozo there are approximately 2,200 colonies of bees. And, according to veteran beekeepers, our islands “would need to be triple the size” if all the honey being sold off as Maltese is genuinely local.