Shoppers 警告するd as 潜在的に dangerous 偽の goods flood in for Christmas

By Damien Gayle
Updated: 09:33 BST, 7 December 2011

Shoppers looking for a Christmas 取引 should beware of 潜在的に dangerous 偽造の goods which are flooding into the country in the run up to the festive season.

Fak e UGG Boots, GHD hair straighteners, iPhones and iPads are の中で the tens of thousands of 偽造の items that have been 掴むd by 国境 officers in 最近の months.

買い手s can be left with 製品s which are, at best, inferior to 本物の ones and, at worst, harmful or 危険な, the UK 国境 機関 警告するd today.

Vigilant: 国境 機関 officers have 迎撃するd tens of thousands of 偽造の items in 最近の months but are 警告 shoppers to be 用心深い

認める Miller, from the 機関's Heathrow International 貿易（する） 分割, said: 'We're 警告 people to be 特に 用心深い of buying cheap items online or from 非公式の 仲買人s.

'It's 平易な to be tricked into thinking you're getting a 取引, but in the run-up to Christmas our message is that if something appears too good to be true it probably is.'

Seizures made by the UK 国境 機関 in the last year 含む:

• In August, 45,000 pairs of 偽の UGG Boots were 設立する in コンテナ freight in Southampton, the biggest such seizure in Europe.
• At Coventry International 郵便の 中心 13,000 items valued at だいたい £14.5million were 迎撃するd. The 広大な 大多数 of these were bought online and shipped to the UK from abroad.
• At the Port of Dover a consignment of 偽の Disney, Hello Kitty, Thomas the 戦車／タンク Engine and other toys 価値（がある） around £50,000 were 掴むd in October.
• GHD hair straighteners 価値（がある） more than £310,000 were 掴むd at Manchester International Airport in November 主要な to the 逮捕（する） of two men.
• At Heathrow Airport 1,100 seizures were made of items valued at around £10million in the first eight months of 2011/12 - the same number of seizures as in the whole of 2010/11.
• A month-long 操作／手術 in June led to the seizure of 15,000 items of 偽造の designer 着せる／賦与するing at Stansted Airport.

偽の fashion goods, like these handbags, have been flooding in to the UK as shoppers gear up for the Christmas 急ぐ

A UK 国境 機関 officer 持つ／拘留するs up a pair of 偽の GHD hair straighteners

Ugg boots, 本物の pair pictured above, are also の中で the High Street favourites ripped off by counterfeiters

Damian Green, the 移民／移住 大臣, said: 'We are 取引，協定ing with a 抱擁する 犯罪の 商売／仕事. The international 貿易（する） in 偽造の goods is serious organised 罪，犯罪 and, for the ギャング（団）s behind it, it is low-危険 and high-reward.

'知識人 所有物／資産／財産 罪，犯罪 is a serious 経済的な 脅し, and it's 概算の to be 価値（がある） around £1.3 billion in the UK each year.

'That is why we have UK 国境 機関 officers operating 24 hours a day at ports, airports and mail sorting centres and they have 掴むd thousands of 偽造の items that could さもなければ have ended up as gifts this Christmas.'

Which?, the 消費者 支持する, echoed the 警告s with a 調査する 示唆するing that nearly one in 10 people are bought a 偽の 製品 by mistake in the past two years.

Nearly a ４半期/4分の1 (23 per cent) of 偽の goods were bought from websites 含むing online 巨大（な）s アマゾン and eBay, it said.

And more than a third (38 per cent) of those who tried to return the goods after realising they had been sold a 偽造の were stuck with the 製品, the Which? 研究 設立する.

Thirty-four per cent of shoppers said they had spotted 偽の goods on sale in the past year, 含むing 偽造の iPods, laptops and ビデオ games consoles.

Which? (n)役員／(a)執行力のある director Richard Lloyd said: 'It's worrying that so many 消費者s are 存在 申し込む／申し出d 偽造の goods online as they try to save money.

'Don't be tempted to buy 偽の goods this Christmas. Some of the 製品s we 実験（する）d weren't just poor 質, they were dangerous.

'Online 場所／位置s such as アマゾン and eBay must take 堅い 活動／戦闘 against re-販売人s who use their service to sell 偽の goods to unsuspecting shoppers.'

アマゾン said it did not 許す the sale of 偽造の items on its Marketplace 壇・綱領・公約.

The online retailer 追加するd that anyone 設立する selling 偽のs would be dealt with 適切に, and could have their accounts 除去するd.

A 熟考する／考慮する by Which? 設立する 23 per cent of 偽の goods were bought from websites 含むing online 巨大（な）s アマゾン and eBay

A 広報担当者 said: 'Occurrences of 偽造の 製品s on アマゾン.co.uk Marketplace are rare and we have an 設立するd 過程 in place which enables third parties, 含むing 権利s 支えるもの／所有者s, to 供給する us with notice of 偽造の 製品.

'We 答える／応じる 速く to any such notice.'

Every 顧客 who orders on アマゾン.co.uk is covered by a 保証（人） and will be refunded or given a 交替／補充 if they receive 偽造の goods from a marketplace 販売人, he 追加するd.

アマゾン said anyone 設立する selling 偽のs would be dealt with 適切に, and could have their accounts r emoved

The 長，指導者 (n)役員／(a)執行力のある of the 貿易（する）ing 基準s 学校／設ける, Ron Gainsford, said: 'In this difficult 経済的な 気候 money is tight for many of us, but there could be a high price to 支払う／賃金 for 取引 現在のs that aren't the real 取引，協定.

'貿易（する）ing 基準s are working hard with other 当局 to stop 犯罪のs 廃虚ing 消費者s' festive spirit as millions of low-質 and 潜在的に dangerous 偽造の 製品s are flooding the country in time for Christmas, 特に in markets, car boot sales and online.

'The 外部の 外見 and 一括ing of 電気の goods such as chargers and hair straighteners may be copied 公正に／かなり 井戸／弁護士席, but the 内部の composition and 構成要素s are likely to be substandard and could make the item very dangerous. 類似して toys, jewellery, alcohol and cigarettes might look the part but could turn out to be 有毒な.

'Check, 二塁打 check and check again to make sure what you are buying and where you are buying from is the real 取引，協定.'