The tempting fakes funding 'dark criminality'

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6 days ago

It has been a busy summer for trading standards officers who have been clamping down on counterfeit goods on our streets. Hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of fakes have been seized in Lincolnshire. The BBC's Sarah-May Buccieri went to see where they are stored.
"It's not a victimless crime," says Lincolnshire trading standards officer Dan Brown.
He's been doing this job for 18 years.
We stand at the edge of a container full to the brim of counterfeit items which have been confiscated.
I've been told I must keep the location of where we are a secret, because the items here are linked to organised crime.
At the end of July, thousands of fake clothes were seized in Ingoldmells on the Lincolnshire coast.
They included more than 2,000 pairs of trainers and 300 T-shirts imitating brands like Adidas, Nike, Dior and North Face.
Trading Standards said they had an estimated value of more than £100,000.
These items are now in boxes in Dan's container.
"It's not the quality you'd expect it to be. The stitching is not right," Dan says as he closely inspects a fake white Nike trainer seized in the raid.
Dan says he's seen fake trainers like this sell for between £40 and £120.
"Not cheap at all," he laughs.
"The counterfeiters exploit a market and create an impression that these are genuine products.
"That's misleading the customer."
Action Fraud said the money spent on counterfeit goods was used to fund organised crime including drug dealing.
Dan says he wants people to consider the "wider picture" and think twice before buying a fake.
"We've seen that it's heavily linked with people trafficking, drugs smuggling, child sexual exploitation, lots of dark criminality. This is just the face of it," he says.
The government said people who bought fake goods may also have unknowingly shared personal data that could be used in criminal activities.
In June, the Intellectual Property Office surveyed 5,000 UK adults on their buying habits.
About a quarter said they had knowingly made a counterfeit purchase.
The data showed respondents under the age of 45 were the most active purchasers of counterfeit goods.
Dan unbolts another container.
As he rummages through bags of items, he finds a selection of children's toys.
Although seemly harmless, he says they can be incredibly dangerous.
"They don't meet the legal labelling requirement so there's no traceability on these products to be sold on the UK market," Dan says.
He pulls out a bunch of fake, brightly coloured L.O.L dolls, aimed at young children, which he says became popular a few years ago.
"The counterfeiters jumped on that," he says.
Behind the eye-catching colours of the dolls, Dan says chemicals were found on them which could have caused harm to a small child if they put one in their mouth.
"They're not tested properly. We often see choking hazards," he says.
"Is it really worth the safety of your child to buy a counterfeit product like this?"
Dan says the trading standards team works hand in hand with Lincolnshire Police.
He describes their relationship as "critical and integral" as police support his team on raids.
As Dan bolts up the container, he issues a warning to those tempted to buy a fake.
"These people are exploiting everybody," he says.
"Think long and hard about where you want to spend your money and who you want to be giving that money to."
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