Warning to Black Friday shoppers as ‘fakes’ hit streets

Thanksgiving celebrations across the United States are underway, and with it comes the promise of discounts and reductions from retailers ranging from titans like Amazon to the smaller businesses like PA Life. Brits are expected to spend around £7 billion during the Black Friday craze this year, and shops will be scrambling to keep up with the demand.

To keep up with the pressure this week will put on shops, corporate crime experts are concerned that traders may unwittingly find themselves selling counterfeit goods to customers in an attempt to keep their shelves stocked. Worth hundreds of billions of pounds every year, Black Friday and the Christmas holidays represent a major market for shady dealers.

Ensuring retailers and shoppers alike are shopping safely this festive season, Senior Partner at serious corporate crime defence specialist Rahman Ravelli, Aziz Rahman, is trying to make the British public aware of the pitfalls of Black Friday.

“A sales day such as Black Friday intensifies the desire for a bargain and, therefore, creates a demand that can be filled by people supplying counterfeit goods,” explained Aziz Rahman, adding that “it can be the case that people accused of selling counterfeit goods genuinely do not know that what they are selling is fake.”

The team have released a report for businesses to be aware of the consequences of selling fakes, even if it’s unwittingly. Emphasising that prosecuted businesses have a far stronger defence if they can prove that their business has taken proactive measures to ensure that its supply chain is completely clean, ultimately the gift-givers this winter need to be extra vigilant if they are to make sure that they aren’t going to be left with disappointment. But after all, it’s not all about the presents is it?

Will you be queuing up for Black Friday discounts, or will you be waiting for Cyber Monday? Don’t forget our own reductions to the PA Life club END FRIDAY. Let us know on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.