Fakes, phonies and frauds flow here
Among the foreign-made goods hitting our shores are a flood of fakes, according to Consumer Reports.
Last year, United States law enforcement agencies — including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations — shut down 29,684 websites that were illegally selling counterfeit merchandise online.
Not only do fakes cost U.S. businesses as much as $250 billion in lost trade annually, but many are also downright dangerous.
Medical
Six percent of all fakes seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection last year were pharmaceuticals and personal-care products. They’re especially dangerous because they could be subpotent, superpotent, expired or adulterated.
• Botox. The genuine wrinkle-smoother is made by U.S.based Allergan, but in April, the Food and Drug Administration issued an alert for counterfeit Botox that was distributed by an unlicensed supplier and may have been sold to doctors’ offices and clinics nationwide.
• Alli. Lab tests conducted by GlaxoSmithKline, the U.K.based maker of the real overthe-counter weight-loss product, revealed that a fake, which was sold online, lacked orlistat, the active ingredient. Instead, it contained the controlled substance sibutramine, a drug that shouldn’t be used without physician oversight and that can cause adverse interactions with other medications.
• Nonprescription contact lenses. Also referred to as “color” or “fashion” contacts, they’re considered counterfeit if they’re sold without a prescription. A poor fit can cause serious eye damage, including corneal scratches, infection, conjunctivitis (pinkeye) and even blindness.
UL labels
Many consumers know to look for the UL label, the safety seal that the independent Underwriters Laboratories puts on more than 22 billion products annually. Fraudsters create knockoff labels for appliances and electronics, particularly low-cost items such as power strips and extension cords as well as mobile phone chargers and batteries, says UL’s consumer safety director, John Drengenberg.