When it comes to the products people rely on every day, can you spot a fake? Recently, the Global Intellectual Property Center presented real and counterfeit items to consumers in Times Square to see if they could tell the difference. Here’s how one woman from Texas faired:

 

Criminals see the production and sale of counterfeit goods as a lucrative, low-risk business model to make money and undermine businesses in almost every industry imaginable. Counterfeiting and piracy have grown to cost the global economy a whopping $650 billion each year. While this illicit activity hacks away at U.S. businesses and jobs, it also puts American consumers at risk.

Athletes and pedestrians alike know that a good pair of shoes is important for safety, comfort, and performance in competitive and non-competitive environments. Though fakes may appear identical to the genuine product, counterfeiters often save on production costs by cutting corners. Their products could use inferior materials, and might not perform to U.S. and international safety standards. We’ve even seen incidences where counterfeit children’s shoes contain contaminants, like lead paint.

Not everyone uses running shoes for competitive sport, but you can probably recall the last time you consumed a prescription medication. The criminals and unscrupulous entrepreneurs behind some online pharmacies have have no qualms about packing placebo or harmful ingredients as “legitimate” medicines.  As consumers, can we afford to put our safety into the hands of dangerous fakes?

Visit www.dangerousfakes.com to learn useful tips to protect yourself.