Our Trading Standards officers are warning people to be
on their guard about fake jackets and counterfeit
cigarettes.
A man approached a woman in Sainsbury's car park in Worle,
Weston-super-Mare, with a story about how he was on his way back to
Italy after attending a fashion conference.
The man, who spoke in what is described as an Italian accent,
said he was a rep for Armani and he had some jackets left over at
the end of the show.
He was on his way to the airport and needed the money to pay for
his hire car. He asked for £50 for what he said was a genuine
Armani jacket.
The lady did not part with any money and had the presence of
mind to call Trading Standards.
Executive member with responsibility for trading standards, Cllr
Carl Francis-Pester, said: "The offer of a genuine Armani for £50
sounds too good to be true - and that's because it probably is too
good to be true!
"Our advice to consumers is don't be taken in by these
opportunists who are probably looking to off-load cheap, poor
imitations of genuine articles."
Trading Standards officers have also received information that
counterfeit cigarettes may be circulating in Weston-super-Mare.
These counterfeit cigarettes may breach safety legislation and
pose a serious health risk as they could contain excessive levels
of dangerous chemicals.
Mary Hart, Associate Director of Health Improvement with NHS
North Somerset, said: "Cigarettes are dangerous enough when they
are the genuine product. They are responsible for half of all
deaths among smokers.
"Counterfeit cigarettes, which may include even more poisonous
substances, are a real cause for concern. We do not know what
substances are included so we cannot know what the effect will be
on human health of burning these substances and inhaling the
smoke.
"Obviously in the current economic climate addicted smokers will
be tempted to buy cheaper cigarettes, but we would urge smokers
instead to quit or cut down.
"A 20 cigarettes a day smoker stopping today should save enough
to buy a Nintendo DS Lite by Christmas Eve and you don’t have to go
cold turkey. You can call 01275 546 744 for advice on
quitting."
The tell-tale signs that cigarettes are counterfeit
include:
• poor or unusual taste
• the price which is cheaper than the real version
• the printing on the cigarette packets is often of poorer
quality
• the cigarettes may be sold from outlets you would not expect to
sell them
• may be sold from ‘under the counter’.
Information about the sale of suspected counterfeit cigarettes
should be reported to Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 or
anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.