Counterfeit products: How to tell whether you bought one

You thought that pair of shoes or toy or electronics device you bought was the real thing. Now that you have it in your hands, you wonder whether it’s counterfeit or a knockoff. 

Counterfeit products hurt legitimate companies and jobs, can waste our money and can be downright dangerous, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. For example, counterfeit electronics lead to more than 70 deaths and 350,000 significant injuries in the United States every year, according to the National Crime Prevention Council. Other types of counterfeit products that pose special risk: lithium-ion batteries, bike helmets, infant sleep products, medications and personal hygiene/beauty products. 

Here are some ways to help figure out whether what you bought might be counterfeit:

Look at the packaging

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Consumer Product Safety Commission recommend scrutinizing packaging and contents. If the packaging has anything suspicious, such as the lack of an original box, sketchy shrink wrapping, sloppy packaging in a box or a broken safety seal if there’s supposed to be one, it could be a counterfeit product. 

Scan the Universal Product Code, using a phone app

Scanning the bar code or QR code should take you to the website for the product, or at least for the company. If it doesn’t, the product could be a counterfeit.

A few highly rated apps are:

• QR Code & Barcode Scanner by Gamma Play for iPhone (5,300 ratings, 4.3-star average) and Android (2.7 million ratings, 4.5-star average)
• QR Reader by TapMedia Ltd. for iPhone (1.2 million ratings, 4.7-star average)
• QR Code Reader, Barcode by Wzp Solutions for iPhone. (52,000 ratings, 4.7-star average)
• QR & Barcode Reader by QR Scan Team for Android  (55,000 reviews, 4.5-star average)

Some counterfeiters will create fake UPCs, particularly for more expensive products, but that’s not an easy endeavor. It’s more common for a counterfeiter to just leave off any UPC.

Besides a UPC, you can find out whether the product package normally has other security features, such as serial numbers, holograms or RFID tags. With high-demand and often imitated brands such as Nike and Adidas, the companies create a unique UPC for each pair of shoes – with color and size. 

Here’s what the app showed when we scanned UPC/QR codes on products we had.

Check whether the label contains the country of origin

Various categories of products must state the country of manufacture, including clothing, toys and any products for children age 12 and younger.

Many other products require this too if they’re imported. The Tariff Act of 1930 requires that every imported item in these categories must legibly and permanently state the English name of the item’s country of origin. The list of foreign-made products that require this includes:

• Clothing and textiles
• Furniture
• Electronic devices
• Furniture
• Products that come in contact with food, such as cups, utensils and cookware
• Toys

So if you bought one of these products and it was imported, it must disclose where it was made. If it doesn’t, that points to a problem.

In addition, many products that are manufactured in the United States require a “Made in USA” or similar label. The list of products includes automobiles, most clothing and other items made of textiles, wool or fur.

Further, if an item does say “Made in USA” or something similar, that means it must comply with the Federal Trade Commission’s “all or virtually all” standard. Broadly, this means that “final assembly” of the product occurred in the United States, all significant processing that goes into the product occurred in the United States, and all or virtually all ingredients or components were made and sourced in the United States. If all of those aren’t true, it can’t say it was “Made in the USA.”

Look for spelling mistakes on the package

And check out logos and colors that look similar, but are not identical to the genuine corporate logo.

Check whether the entity that sold you the item is an authorized seller for that product

Most consumer products are sold only by companies authorized to sell them. Check the manufacturer’s or distributor’s website for a list of authorized sellers.

Cross-check the serial number

For items such as electronics and small kitchen appliances, you should be able to verify the serial number on the manufacturer’s web site.

Find whether the label cites ingredients and quantity/weight

Items such as medications and cosmetics must comply with various labeling requirements, including the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act. For example, a medication label must list all of the ingredients together and a cosmetics product doesn’t comply if it doesn’t state the net quantity/volume and the name and address of the manufacturer, packer or distributor.

If the label for any of these products isn’t displayed as required, there’s reason to be suspicious.