Justin Tomlinson MP at a Citizens Advice event earlier in the year
Trading standards officers in Swindon are urging consumers to check, double check and check again to stay safe from fraudsters exploiting one of the country’s favourite pastimes – sports.
The drive is part of the annual National Consumer Week taking place 21 – 25 November 2011, backed by Olympian Tessa Sanderson and consumer organisations Citizens Advice and UK ECC. The theme this year is Good Sports Don’t Fake It.
Olympic gold medallist Tessa Sanderson said : “It’s so important to make sure that the goods we buy online and elsewhere are the real deal. Buying counterfeit goods is like throwing your money down the drain and only serves to fund the illegal activities of the criminals behind the scams.
“It can also lead to huge disappointment in the case of fake tickets to events like the Olympics – or even injury if we buy sporting equipment that hasn’t gone through the correct quality procedures. I hope as many people as possible take note of the Trading Standards Institute’s National Consumer Week and learn how they can protect themselves against buying counterfeit goods in the future.”
Justin Tomlinson MP said “Sports are a fantastic source of enjoyment and activity for people of all ages in Swindon. Unfortunately big games and sporting events present perfect opportunities for criminals who target passionate fans keen to see their sporting heroes and to buy merchandise - trading standards officers are working hard stop fraudsters having a field day at the expense of our enjoyment.
I hope all of Swindon’s sport fans take note of the Good Sports Don’t Fake It campaign this week and it’s k3ey message that if you are not sure, get advice – if you think it’s dodgy, report it.”
Swindon residents are urged to help themselves and help Trading Standards by using a simple CHECK list to make sure that they don’t miss out, end up out of pocket or hurt. It is also important that people break the chain to wider crime in their community that fakes feed into. The Good Sports Don’t Fake It campaign is putting the spotlight on some of the fakes and scams and is giving consumers a CHECK list to stay safe:
C Choose your shopping outlets and websites carefully.
H Help yourself. If the deal is too good to be true then it probably is.
E Ensure you look for authentic branding and holograms
C Contact the authorities if you are concerned
K Keep a copy of your order and receipts