Global Innovation Policy Center

On the Tenth Day of the Holidays a Counterfeiter Gave to Meee…

Ten Phony Phone Chargers
Nine Botched Baby Carriers
Eight Bogus Batteries
Seven Spurious Software
Six Imitation Intimates
Five DVDs
Four Angry Birds
Three Bars of Soap
Two Video Games
and an Airbag in My Minivan

If you were to guess one of the worst home hazards for the holiday season- what would you think? Too much egg nogg? Falling off the ladder when decorating the Christmas tree? Spoiling your kids?

Try counterfeit electrical goods, like electrical cords, phone chargers, and holiday lights.

And they’re hitting our store shelves at alarming rates. Consumer electronics were the top category of seized goods by Customs and Border Patrol in 2011, representing one-third of all infringing products (fake purses, DVDs, clothing, etc..).

On the eighth day of counterfeits, we rhymed about how bogus batteries in your electronics could sizzle, malfunction, and ruin your new Christmas present. While batteries are bad, electrical devices are worse. Imagine what would happen if something plugged directly into your home’s electrical system malfunctioned.

Whoever said counterfeiting was harmless is just plain wrong. As this Early Show segment reports, it only takes a few seconds for a counterfeit’s spark to fly and your home be engulfed in flames. As the Electrical Safety Foundation International warns “electricity is uniquely unforgiving. It can shock and it can kill you.”

These fakes aren’t just duping consumers, they’re tricking store owners as well. With counterfeiters affixing fake safety labels onto complex electrical products, it seems that the best line of defense against this dangerous crime is to shop at well-respected and trusted stores.

For more information on Dangerous Fakes, please visit www.DangerousFakes.com.

Global Innovation Policy Center

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