While the majority of Canadians don’t agree with purchasing counterfeit products, less than half are confident that they can identify fake goods this holiday season, according to a survey commissioned by Microsoft Canada.
Only 43 percent of survey respondents expressed confidence that they can identify counterfeit albums and movies, and even fewer said they can identify other products including clothing (30 percent), computer software (28 percent), electronic devices (27 percent), handbags (24 percent, and sunglasses (21 percent).
“The counterfeiting and piracy industry is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the world,” Lorne Lipkus, founding member of the Canadian Anti-Counterfeiting Network (CACN), said in a press release.
“The risks to Canadian consumers both online and in-store are high due to lack of education on how to detect counterfeit products.”
The increasing difficulty in identifying counterfeit goods is also reported by the RMCP, which notes counterfeit products have become much more diverse and now include electrical products, pharmaceuticals, automotive parts, and food products.
“The criminals producing these products put so much effort into disguising a product’s appearance that it can be very difficult to determine whether or not a product is genuine,” reads a statement on RCMP’s website.
Around a third (38 percent) of survey respondents see the price of the product as the best indicator of whether it is counterfeit. Poor construction and off-brand logos were also reported as key indicators by 21 percent and 18 percent of respondents, respectively.
Some indicators to watch for listed by the CACN include: a much lower price than average, spelling mistakes on the product or packaging, products that are normally sold in packages being sold individually, shoddy appearance of the product or package, and products that have no name brand.
Risk Both Online and In-Store
While 58 percent of Canadians are concerned about purchasing fake products online, only 35 percent express the same concern regarding purchasing counterfeit in-store, the Microsoft survey shows.
“Counterfeit crime and software piracy is a global problem both online and in-store,” said Chris Tortorice, anti-piracy corporate counsel with Microsoft Canada.
“Canadians need to take extra precautions to educate themselves on what to look for to ensure they do not inadvertently buy illegitimate products when purchasing gifts this holiday season,” Tortorice added.
The survey also shows that 77 percent of Canadians indicate that they would not buy counterfeit goods knowingly, and 71 percent see counterfeit goods being harmful to the economy.
Additionally, Canadians agree that counterfeit products open them up to a number of personal risks such as productivity loss (77 percent), privacy breaches (72 percent), and personal injury (64 percent).
The survey was conducted by a sample of 1,501 Canadian adults from Nov. 20 to 21.
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