Counterfeit Goods in Northern Ireland

In the past, counterfeit car parts were mainly non-safety items such as window wipers, mud flaps and car interior accessories. Now, counterfeit items such as brake pads, brake shoes, suspension components and steering linkages are readily available on the market.

Car repairers and car part suppliers may not be aware that they are in possession of fake parts, as they can be made to look quite convincing. However, it is possible that there may be some businesses out there that are knowingly selling counterfeit brake pads.

The brake pads, branded as  branded as Volkswagen, SEAT, Skoda and Audi were seized at properties in Belfast and Armagh following a tip-off from the Volkswagen group.

An examination of the brake pads revealed that they were highly dangerous, failing to meet the required breaking friction levels and only held together by glue. The test concluded that the fakes would not obtain R90 approval - the European legal standard for brake pads.

If brake pads fail there are serious safety implications and lives could be lost. Risking the lives of drivers, passengers, other motorists and pedestrians for a few extra pounds is madness.

If a retailer, car-repairer or consumer has purchased Volkswagen branded brake pads that they are concerned about, they can check for the following tell-tale signs:

• The fake box label indicates that the product is a “Wasserpumpe” and not brake pads. Wasserpumpe is German for water pump.
• Printing error on fake box reads ‘Fonnel Q’ but should read ‘Formel Q’.
• The backing plate of the fake pads is engraved with ‘TAXTE’ or ‘TEXTA’, whereas the genuine product are engraved with ‘TEXTAR’.
• No fitting instructions included in the box.
• Tamper proof box seal missing.
• The fake parts do not have a batch code and production date.
• The performance of the fake product is significantly lower than the genuine brake pads.

Jewellery

Regularly seize items of jewellery bear the following registered trade marks: Tiffany & Co, Links of London, Pandora, Gucci and Playboy. The seized items, which were also described as being 'sterling silver', were forwarded to the Assay Office in London for testing. The jewellery items were found to have been manufactured from base metal, a copper and zinc alloy and then completely silver plated.
Consumers should always check any silver, gold, platinum or palladium jewellery they’re buying is properly hallmarked to ensure they are getting the genuine article.

Make-up

Counterfeit items such as cosmetics are potentially dangerous to consumers. It is unlikely that they will be subject to the same stringent safety tests as legitimate brands. As these goods are to be applied to the skin and to the eye area, they may pose a serious health risk to consumers.
Counterfeit make-up has been known to cause serious rashes, allergic reactions and in more serious cases even cause burning to the skin as they are sometimes found to contain arsenic, lead and mercury.

Hair straighteners

Trading Standards has seized a large quantity of hair straighteners from premises in NI. These items are often presented in a tatty box, but more alarmingly Fake hair stylers are not only poorly made and short-lasting, but they are also very dangerous. Users are running the risk of damaging their hair or even being injured from electric shocks or burns.
Consumer's can check the product's hologram code number on the official supplier's website to establish whether they are genuine or not.

 

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