So, it happened. I was scammed out of my hard earned money. A few weeks back, I bought a Michael Kors handbag from a website – I thought I’d bag an amazing deal, way cheaper than the real thing. I was so wrong, the bag was clearly fake and not even good quality at that.
Ugh, I was so mad at myself, how had I been so naive? My friend later told me that I should be more careful when it came to buying stuff online. It’s a struggle not to feel too embarrassed after something like this. I’ve since learnt an important lesson – when something seems too good to be true, it usually is!
I started doing some research after this incident, and it turns out that fake Michael bags are unfortunately quite a common thing in the UK. I mean, I knew they existed, but not to this extent. There’s a whopping £2 billion a year lost to fake items. Wow, that’s a scary figure! And it’s not only handbags, people can be scammed out of their money when buying almost anything, even sports equipment and luxury items.
With the rise of online shopping, it’s becoming increasingly hard to tell between genuine and fake items. The dodgy sellers often resort to copying product images, and their websites are often filled with words that have been misspelt, in an attempt to appear ‘genuine’.
It gets even worse when you look at the cost of these counterfeit goods. A fraction of the money raised by the sale of fake products is used to fund terrorism, wars and illegal border crossings. Fake Michael bags might not sound like a big deal, but it really is helping to increase the illegal activities throughout the world.
The only way to protect yourself from these kinds of scams, is by learning how to identify a genuine product from a fake one. Research how the original product is supposed to look, and compare it to the product you are interested in buying. If something looks off, don’t buy it! Always make sure you are buying from a reputable seller, and if you’re ever not sure, just walk away.
It’s also worth getting an understanding of how these counterfeiters operate, so you can apply these tips when buying items in the future. To start, familiarise yourself with terms that indicate bogus items, or words like ‘replica’, ‘knock-off’ or ‘factory seconds’. It always pays to read customer reviews as well – if something seems off, chances are someone else has already spotted it too!
On top of this, research the company you are buying from – make sure they have a valid business address and contact details. Be sure to never share your credit card information or complete payment until you are certain that these details are legitimate.
If you ever feel like something isn’t right when buying online, there are often additional measures you can take to verify the authenticity of the item. Ask for additional photos of the item, as well as additional information about the product itself. Often a seller won’t provide this information, which may be a warning sign.
It’s always worth double-checking any websites that you buy from and also paying attention to the price. If the price you are being offered is significantly lower than the retail price, it’s highly likely that something is amiss. Also, never buy from websites that advertise ‘free’ offers – these sites are often used by fake product sellers to target unsuspecting customers.
Finally, never be afraid to ask for help from consumer protection or law enforcement agencies if you’re not sure what to do. Together, we can help put an end to counterfeit sellers and keep ourselves and our money safe.