As more people choose to shop online, counterfeiters are able to sell inferior products without fear of any redress. According to the Anti-Counterfeiting Group (ACG) over £30 billion is spent shopping online annually in the UK and 20 per cent of all retail sales are made via the internet.

In Oxfordshire, Trading Standards received 60 complaints about counterfeit products since April 2011, and of these half were purchase online. This is a rise of 29 per cent compared to the same period last year.

The service has noticed a particular increase in complaints over counterfeit alcohol, accessories and clothing. Last Christmas, the majority of complaints were about counterfeit UGG boots and GHD hair straighteners. In 2010, consumers paid an average of £71 for fake UGG boots and £72 for GHD straighteners, which were not only fake, but also found to be unsafe.

Rise in counterfeit alcohol

Oxfordshire Trading Standards Service has seized over 100 bottles of counterfeit wine and vodka since April 2011. The wine is often rebottled cheap wine, provided with an expensive label and the vodka has a higher level methanol, which can be harmful. Either way, consumers do not know what they are consuming, the unhygienic conditions they may have been rebottled or made in and the potential health risks.

Some shop owners say they have been sold counterfeit alcohol by a man claiming to be a local trader whose shop has had to close due to the current economic climate, and as a result is selling off stock at low prices. Oxfordshire Trading Standards advise traders and consumers to ensure all stock is purchased from legitimate suppliers.

Protect yourself

Richard Webb, Acting Head of Oxfordshire County Council's Trading Standards Service, said: “It is so important that people protect themselves against being a victim of counterfeiters, especially since any form of redress is unlikely. If the purchase was paid for by credit card and was over £100, then the credit card company may be equally liable.

“Some of these websites are set up with a ‘.co.uk’ domain name convincing consumers that it is UK based. This is not always the case - anybody can set up a co.uk domain name and the first time consumers are aware that they have made a purchase from abroad is when the package is delivered from abroad. If you make a purchase from a fake site, complaints made to them are likely to be either ignored or they may charge for the return of the goods and still the consumer gets no redress. The brand holders of the genuine goods have no responsibility to consumers who purchase counterfeit goods – they don’t have to check the item and consumers are not entitled to a refund from them.

“For advice or if you suspect someone may be selling counterfeit goods, or have come across a bogus website, contact Oxfordshire Trading Standards.”

Top tips

• Make sure the company behind the website provides a full street address for their business, not just a Post Office or mail box number. Try its UK landline phone number. Be wary of buying from a site that only gives an email address or mobile phone number. Just because a website ends in .co.uk it does not necessarily mean that it is based in the UK.
• If you wish to deal with a UK company, check the web address via a ‘WHOIS’ website such as Nominet. This should give a UK address as the registrant.
• Check for spelling and grammatical errors.
• Read the terms and conditions - inadequate terms and conditions imply the site may not be as it seems.
• Put the website name into a search engine such as Google or Ask to see what you can find out.
• Genuine sites often state what the counterfeit sites are and to avoid them.
• Secure site providers such as VeriSign or McAfee SECURE are there to protect your sensitive information, such as transaction details, and ensure you are not redirected to a scam website. Where websites claim to be secured by them and others, click on the symbol to ensure they are genuine, since scammers are putting up fake ones. On the VeriSign symbol, it should show the current time, date and give the specific website address you are viewing and that the site has been scanned for malicious software. McAfee SECURE trustmarks should take you to the verification page showing the subscribing merchant name and show the current date. For more details on these and other secure site providers, look on their websites.
• Make sure that 'https:’ begins the webpage address at the top of your screen before you key in your credit card information at checkout. That final 's' at the end of http means that a secure, encrypted connection is in place between your computer’s browser, eg Internet Explorer, and the website you’re visiting. If you don’t see the final 's' starting the address when checkout time occurs, stop the transaction.
• Visit Brand-i, a shopping directory that only lists webstores selling genuine products.

Councillor Judith Heathcoat, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Safer and Stronger Communities, said: “It’s nearly Christmas and everyone is preparing for the festivities and looking for those ideal gifts to make this time special. However, with this come risks for both consumers and some traders. Both should listen to the advice given to us by the Trading Standards team. Be extra vigilant when buying online and from unknown sources and always beware of offers that seem too good to be true. By using a combination of the above tips, you will be protecting yourself and your loved ones from financial and health harm and disappointment.”