Progress
06/2024
Rats’ droppings, human urine and arsenic..Police warn against counterfeit cosmetics (2017)
https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2015/may/18/police-campaign-dangers-counterfeit-cosmetics
A study was done in 2017 where rat droppings, human urine and arsenic were found in perfumes sold online. This was highlighted by the City of London police department in a campaign with the slogan ‘wake up-don’t fake up’.
Checking the authenticity of a product (perfume) on social media is hard as the consumer cannot gauge the product leading to scams especially when it comes to showing images as these can deceive the buyer, especially those between 15 to 30 years old.
Det Sept Maria Woodall, who oversees the IPO Crime Unit in London, has said that many people are not aware of the real dangers of these products on their health. Criminals exploit every opportunity to make money.
Moreover, these products can also put the buyer at financial risk when buying on rogue websites and these’re have been, in fact, people’s who’s accounts and financial details have been used to make further purchases.
In 2017 in the last 18 months, the PIPCU has helped customers from being ripped off by suspending 5.000 websites and seizing more than £3.5million worth of counterfeit products.