ElEctrical
countErfEit
awarEnEss
Electrical counterfeits can and do kill.
Every day, counterfeit electrical products are
finding their way into our homes, businesses, and
public institutions. These fraudulent products pose
a serious financial and legal liability to the electrical
industry, and they have become a grave safety
crisis for our communities - a crisis that requires
immediate action.
Counterfeit electrical products pose significant
safety hazards, and left undetected can cause deaths,
injuries and substantial property loss in the home
and the workplace.
This fact sheet provides information on the simple
steps that consumers can take to identify and avoid
these potentially dangerous devices, and offers
additional background about the Counterfeits Can
Kill campaign.
what is Electrical
counterfeiting?
Trademark counterfeiting has reached
the electrical sector. Counterfeiters
have targeted well-known industrial
and consumer brands, and registered
certification marks of testing and
certification laboratories.
Although
counterfeit
products
may appear as excellent copies of
their original counterparts, these
products are often made using
inferior materials and lax methods
to produce substandard products.
Advertised at prices unable
to
be matched by a genuine brand
manufacturer, these products have
failed to pass minumum safety tests
upon investigation by authorities.
Undetected
counterfeit
electrical
products such as circuit breakers,
batteries,
extension
cords,
and
holiday lights can cause fires, shocks,
explosions, and electrocutions.
According
to The
Gallup
•
Organization, less than one-third of
Americans are aware that counterfeit
versions of electrical products such
as batteries, extension cords, and
circuit breakers even exist.
Counterfeit goods account for
•
5%-7% of global trade activity, a
value of nearly $600 billion.
In FY 2007, the U.S. Bureau of
•
Customs and Border Protection
(CBP) confiscated nearly $200
million worth
of
coun