How to Prevent Buying Counterfeit Products Online: A Complete Guide

If you believe an item is counterfeit, don’t purchase it. If you suspect a website is selling counterfeit items, report the website to your local Trading Standards office.

Here are a few pointers on how not to get caught out this Black Friday/Cyber Monday season. Between them, they ought to give you a degree of protection that will ensure a bargain to remember, for the good reason: 

E-commerce Fraud Detection

• eCommerce companies are estimated to lose $48 billion to fraud each year.
• Every $100 in fraudulent orders results in $207 in losses to the business.
• The average eCommerce company uses 5 fraud detection tools.
• 25% of eCommerce shoppers ask for a refund even though they plan on keeping the product.
• 75% of eCommerce businesses plan to increase their fraud prevention budget.
• 43% of e-commerce consumers have been victims of payment fraud.

Is this a genuine website?

Verify the company name, registered address, and contact details. Search on a search engine to determine if the company name and address exist. Is there an existing contact e-mail address, telephone number, or contact page? Purchase directly from the brand’s website or at a recognized retailer to prevent the possibility of purchasing an imitation product.

Verify product/seller reviews

Search for online reviews of the product and the seller left by other consumers. Read them carefully and look out for any consistent or overly positive comments. It’s possible these could all be coming from the same source. If possible, leave an online review or testimonial yourself for other shoppers.

Can the website be trusted?

Online retailers sometimes show a trust mark to show they have achieved certain quality benchmarks and to ensure a safe online buying experience. Always visit the trust mark’s site before purchase to verify that the trust mark is genuine and the retailer has been granted this quality accreditation.

Is it a well-presented professional website?

Websites selling counterfeit goods frequently fail to live up to the professional standards of a reputable seller. They have spelling errors, bad grammar, poor-quality pictures of products, logos, and/or symbols employed in the identification of payment methods.

Has the website listed your consumer rights?

Website sellers have to make their consumer rights very clear. Is there a complaints procedure, and what are your rights to cancel? Who do you call if there’s a disagreement about your purchase?

What is your legal warranty, and is there a returns policy? An acceptable returns address should also be supplied. If the seller is based within the UK but the returns address is in China, then we suggest that you purchase your product elsewhere.

Is the product picture of good quality?

Those websites selling fakes tend to just copy product photos from the brands’ actual websites. If the product photos are grainy-looking when you look at them close-up and/or some of the photos have been cut off, then chances are this is a fake website.

Is the price too low?

Traders tend to trick customers by marketing fake items at prices much lower than the suggested retail price. If the price seems too good to be true, it most likely is.  Check other sites for prices and beware of high delivery costs.

Authorised sites release approved sellers

Check the official brand’s website; they usually have a list of authorized sellers. If the site you are visiting is not listed, it’s likely selling fake products. At times, the brands also mention black-listed websites, and these are to be avoided.

How to make a secure payment online

To make a secure online payment, check that the payment page uses a URL address that begins with HTTPS, and it displays a padlock or key logo. Always use a credit card because it’s easier to get your money back from the credit card provider if the product is counterfeit. Never use a direct money transfer; this type of payment request usually indicates a scam, and your bank probably won’t refund your money.