Christmas danger from fake games consoles sold on the internet
LANCASHIRE County Council Trading Standards Service is warning the county's internet shoppers to be on the look out for fake games consoles and potentially dangerous adaptors this Christmas.
This follows seizures by HM Revenue & Customs of hundreds of imported counterfeit games consoles at UK freight depots that were found to have been supplied with potentially dangerous 'Top Link' power adaptors. The goods had been purchased from a range of websites, mainly based in Asia, which claimed the items were "genuine Nintendo products."
(Media-Newswire.com) - LANCASHIRE County Council Trading Standards Service is warning the county's internet shoppers to be on the look out for fake games consoles and potentially dangerous adaptors this Christmas.
This follows seizures by HM Revenue & Customs of hundreds of imported counterfeit games consoles at UK freight depots that were found to have been supplied with potentially dangerous 'Top Link' power adaptors. The goods had been purchased from a range of websites, mainly based in Asia, which claimed the items were "genuine Nintendo products." The consoles, which are fake versions of the popular Nintendo DS and DS Lite, coupled with the unsafe power adaptor, sell for around £40, instead of the usual retail price of £100.
Nintendo confirmed that these Nintendo DS and DS Lite consoles were counterfeit, and the power adaptors ( accompanying the consoles which are individually boxed and labelled with the brand 'Top Link' ) were not Nintendo manufactured had not been tested or meet strict UK electrical safety standards.
County Councillor Marcus Johnstone, Cabinet member for community, planning and partnerships, said: “Although the counterfeit product has not yet been found on sale in Lancashire, consumers need to be careful this Christmas when looking for bargain goods on the internet, particularly if you have not done business with the seller before. You may not know where the seller is based and can’t then trace them should things go wrong. Anyone who thinks they may have purchased a counterfeit Nintendo console and 'Top Link' adaptor should not use them and contact Trading Standards."
"Counterfeit goods also cause considerable damage to the Lancashire economy by undermining genuine retailers and small businesses who are honest and abide by the rules."
The advice from Trading Standards when buying goods over the internet is:
• Ensure a proper geographical address ( not PO Box or email address ) and phone number are given
• Be wary of overseas websites selling cheap branded goods
• Make sure the seller will accept credit card purchases and consider using your card ( but never give the PIN number ). For purchases over £100, the credit card company is jointly liable if misdescribed or faulty goods are supplied or if the seller disappears
• Look for websites that have a secure way of paying ( known as an encryption facility ) - these show a padlock at the bottom of the screen when you are filling in the payment details
Anyone with information regarding counterfeit goods can report the matter to Trading Standards via Consumer Direct telephone 08454 04 05 06.
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