The very high price of that cheap knock-off handbag

IN THE age of technology, where terrorist organisations have social media pages and tweet regularly, the ingenuity of counterfeiters has meant that where five years ago “Fucci” or “Roach” handbags were only available in the alleys of Hillbrow, fake goods can now be purchased online – sometimes completely unintentionally.

Online stores and marketplaces state in their policies that they do not allow counterfeit items or unauthorised material to be sold through their platforms, but authenticity cards, tags and labels can be faked.

As the public believes that these online stores only sell genuine products, it becomes more difficult to spot the fakes.

Counterfeiters use search engine optimisation and search engine ads to direct your attention to their fake websites, often using images from legitimate websites to deceive consumers.

So while you may not be probing the internet for fake goods, many people are fooled into buying counterfeit goods in the belief that these goods are genuine.

So how do you spot a fake online? The problem with shopping online is that you don’t get a chance to handle the object before making the purchase so you have to employ more creative strategies to spot counterfeits. Here are some guidelines: products are “real”, “authentic” or “genuine”.

If a website or social media platform continually assures you that a certain scarf is the “genuine” product, chances are it isn’t.

While it may seem harmless to purchase a handbag or scarf or pair of jeans for a fraction of the price, trade in counterfeit goods accounts for 7% of total world trade – that’s $600 billion (R7.7 trillion) annually.

In South Africa alone, billions of rand in revenue has been lost due to the trade in counterfeit goods.

Counterfeiting often represents an easy revenue stream for organised crime which can yield profits of up to 900%.

The purchase of a cheap handbag may even be potentially funding a terrorist organisation.

With the rise of the availability of counterfeit goods online, these numbers are likely to increase.

It is important for consumers to be aware and to guard against this trend. The best way to avoid being fooled into buying fake fashion is to purchase luxury goods through reputable businesses.

Search online for the company name and the word “reviews”. Spoor & Fisher is a specialist intellectual property law firm.

View of fake Swiss watches, seized during spot checks of goods to be imported, exported or in transit, before they were destroyed on request by the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry at a recycling plant in Cressier.

More fake goods and products that are flooding our markets, including popular shoe brands.