How to avoid counterfeit and unsafe products online

Summary

Life Kit Episode Summary: How to Avoid Counterfeit and Unsafe Products Online

Release Date: August 4, 2025
Host: Marielle Segarra | Guest: Carrie Camel, Director of the Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection at Michigan State University

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1. Introduction

In this enlightening episode of Life Kit, host Marielle Segarra delves into the pervasive issue of counterfeit and unsafe products available online and in physical stores. Drawing from her background as a financial reporter and through insightful conversations with expert Carrie Camel, the episode sheds light on the risks associated with counterfeit goods and provides actionable strategies to help consumers make safer purchasing decisions.

2. Understanding Counterfeit Products

Definition and Mechanics

Counterfeit products are unauthorized replicas of genuine items, created to exploit the reputation and trust established by established brands. Marielle Segarra opens the discussion with a personal anecdote about a small company producing fake hummingbird feeders on Amazon, highlighting how counterfeits can deceptively mimic authentic products:

"A customer had bought a hummingbird feeder from her brand on Amazon, or so they thought, because it was a fake..." [00:15]

Carrie Camel elaborates on the concept:

"A counterfeit product is something that stems from what's called a trademark counterfeit. The unauthorized use of the trademark is what makes it a counterfeit because it signals to the marketplace that that particular item is coming from the brand when it indeed is not." [01:06]

Dangers of Counterfeits

Counterfeit products are not just a financial waste; they pose significant safety hazards. Carrie Camel emphasizes the potential dangers:

"We look at the studies of what they found in counterfeit meds or other products, and it varies from, like, highly dangerous chemicals to, you know, just filth and dirty things that shouldn't be, you know, put in a body or come anywhere near humans." [01:43]

These dangers extend beyond personal health risks to include safety-critical items such as counterfeit car parts, which can malfunction and lead to accidents.

3. Commonly Counterfeited Consumer Products

Contrary to popular belief, counterfeiting isn't limited to luxury goods. Carrie Camel highlights the broad spectrum of industries affected:

"We see it really across multiple industries. I know a lot of people I talk to when they first think of counterfeiting, they think of luxury handbags or other types of products like that. But we see it across, you know, almost any industry you can think of, from the toy industry to the automotive industry to consumer products to things like baby formula and food." [04:51]

This widespread issue underscores the importance of vigilance across various types of purchases.

4. Best Practices for Online Shopping

To navigate the complexities of online marketplaces, the episode offers several key strategies:

Buy Directly from Trusted Brands

Marielle underscores the first takeaway:

"Whenever possible, if you're shopping online, buy directly from a brand that you trust on its website or through an e-commerce platform." [07:04]

Scrutinize Third-Party Sellers

When purchasing from platforms like Amazon or Walmart that host third-party sellers, it’s crucial to verify the seller’s legitimacy:

"Do some digging. Check to see who you're actually buying from." [07:41]

Verify Pharmacy Legitimacy

For pharmaceuticals, Carrie Camel advises purchasing only from licensed pharmacies:

"Only get prescription medication from a licensed pharmacy. FDA.gov links to the pharmacy licensing databases for states and US territories. If not listed, the FDA says don't use that pharmacy." [10:00]

5. Best Practices for In-Store Shopping

While online shopping presents unique challenges, counterfeit products can also be encountered in physical stores, especially discount outlets:

"Be careful at in-person stores too. Especially if you're getting a steep discount. You can get counterfeits and illegitimate products at brick and mortar stores." [17:22]

Marielle shares a personal experience with faulty electronics from a discount store, illustrating the potential risks even in physical retail settings.

6. Identifying and Reporting Counterfeits

Recognizing Counterfeits

Consumers are encouraged to inspect products for obvious signs of counterfeiting, such as misspelled labels or unusual packaging:

"If it's something that we call like an obvious counterfeit... maybe there’s misspellings on the packaging or, you know, ... check smell or logo discrepancies." [17:45]

However, Carrie cautions that advanced counterfeits can be nearly indistinguishable from genuine products:

"Unfortunately, as technology is getting better, the counterfeits are getting better too. So there's no way to be able to, you know, 100% say with certainty, like, I know this is the authentic product..." [17:45]

Reporting Suspected Counterfeits

If a counterfeit is suspected, actionable steps include:

• Stop Using the Product: Discontinue use immediately to prevent potential harm.

• Report to the Platform: Inform the e-commerce or retail platform where the purchase was made.

• Contact the Brand: Reach out to the original manufacturer for verification.

• Notify Authorities: Use resources like saferproducts.gov for reporting to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Carrie Camel adds:

"If you think you bought a counterfeit or unsafe product online, stop using it and report it to the e-commerce platform." [20:27]

7. Making the Online Space Safer

The episode discusses systemic measures to enhance online safety:

• Informed Consumers Act: This legislation empowers state attorneys general to take action against e-commerce platforms that fail to protect consumers from counterfeit products.

• Platform Accountability: Companies like Amazon actively monitor and remove counterfeit listings, collaborating with brands and law enforcement to mitigate the issue.

Despite these efforts, Carrie Camel points out the ongoing challenge:

"There's a lot more work to be done to make the online space safer for everyone." [Implicit from context]

8. Recap of Takeaways

Marielle Segarra summarizes the key points to remember:

1. Buy Directly from Trusted Brands: Whenever possible, shop directly from the brand's official website or verified e-commerce platforms. [07:04]

2. Verify Third-Party Sellers: When using third-party sellers on platforms like Amazon, conduct thorough research to ensure their legitimacy. [07:41]

3. Use Licensed Pharmacies for Medications: Always purchase prescription drugs from licensed pharmacies to avoid dangerous counterfeit medications. [10:00]

4. Be Cautious in Physical Stores: Steep discounts in brick-and-mortar stores can be red flags for counterfeit or unsafe products. [17:22]

5. Report Suspected Counterfeits: If you encounter a counterfeit or unsafe product, stop using it immediately and report it to the appropriate platform and authorities. [20:27]

9. Conclusion

This episode of Life Kit serves as a crucial guide for consumers navigating the complex landscape of online and offline shopping. By understanding the risks of counterfeit products and implementing the provided best practices, individuals can protect themselves from potential harm and ensure the authenticity of the products they purchase. Marielle Segarra and Carrie Camel emphasize the shared responsibility of consumers, platforms, and brands in fostering a safer marketplace.

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For more tips and advice, explore other episodes of Life Kit on topics such as reducing plastic usage and performing CPR. Stay informed and empowered with NPR’s Life Kit.

Transcript

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[Marielle Segarra]

You're listening to Life Kit from npr. Hey, everybody, it's Marielle. Before I was the host of Life Kit, I was a financial reporter for the public radio show Marketplace. And one time I went to Rhode island to interview a woman who owned a small company that makes bird feeders. A customer had bought a hummingbird feeder from her brand on Amazon, or so they thought, because it was a fake. A convincing one with her company's name and phone number on it. But it didn't work. The pieces didn't fit together. That kept happening to this company, and it happens to all sorts of companies, large and small, that somewhere, someone decides to make a cheap, fake version of their product and sell it online. That's what you call a counterfeit.

[Carrie Camel]

A counterfeit product is something that stems from what's called a trademark counterfeit.

[Marielle Segarra]

Basically, the seller is trying to make money off of some other company's reputation.

[Carrie Camel]

The unauthorized use of the trademark is what makes it a counterfeit because it signals to the marketplace that that particular item is coming from the brand when it indeed is not.

[Marielle Segarra]

That's Carrie Camel. She's the director of the center for Anti Counterfeiting and Product Protection at Michigan State. Counterfeits are often a waste of money because they fall apart quickly or they don't work. But maybe more importantly, they can be dangerous. Fake electronics can malfunction or light on fire. If you're buying a counterfeit version of something you're ingesting or putting on your skin, you could get really sick.

[Carrie Camel]

We look at the studies of what they found in counterfeit meds or other products, and it varies from, like, highly dangerous chemicals to, you know, just filth and dirty things that shouldn't be, you know, put in a body or come anywhere near humans. And sometimes a combination of all the above.

[Marielle Segarra]

Carrie says counterfeiting is rampant online, and it's hard to spot a fake even when you're holding it in your hands.

[Carrie Camel]

We have in our main office this, like, counterfeit museum where we have a lot of authentic next to counterfeit. And, you know, when we bring people in, you know, sometimes we'll hand them the two products or hand them the one and say, is this real or is this fake?

[Marielle Segarra]

Most of the time, they can't tell the difference. On this episode of Life Kit. Keri shares her best tips for how to avoid buying counterfeits online and in stores too. And while we're talking mainly about counterfeits, which are fake versions of some brands product, the advice could also help you avoid unsafe or illegitimate products in general.

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[Carrie Camel]

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[Marielle Segarra]

Keri what are the most commonly counterfeited consumer products?

[Carrie Camel]

We see it really across multiple industries. I know a lot of people I talk to when they first think of counterfeiting, they think of luxury, luxury handbags or other types of products like that. But we see it across, you know, almost any industry you can think of, from the toy industry to the automotive industry to consumer products to Things like baby formula and food.

[Marielle Segarra]

Yeah. And it's really potentially dangerous when you think about some of the products you just listed. In what ways might a counterfeit product be harmful to your health?

[Carrie Camel]

You know, if it's a product that you can put in your body or on your body or in or on, you know, another human or I would even say a pet or an animal, there's a really high, you know, high potential risk of serious harm and even death in some cases, depending on what that is. There's other products too that maybe you don't put on or in your body, but are there as some type of life saving measures, for example, airbags and cars or brake pads, things that are there that are not of course touching your skin, but they're there to protect you in case an accident happens or in case you need to break quickly. And when we see those type of things counterfeited, the risk could be really great, depending on what that is. Because we're talking about a product that hasn't gone through quality, quality control. There's no safety considerations. So you really don't know what it's made out of.

[Marielle Segarra]

It's so scary. So, okay, let's say you are shopping online. What are some of the best practices for avoiding counterfeits?

[Carrie Camel]

One of the important things you know, that we, we tell people is know where you're shopping from first of all and understand you know where you're buying something from. Looking at the E commerce space, the safest place for me to shop is, is directly from the brand itself or from the manufacturer of the product. So most brands, not all, but most, will have their own website where you can buy their product direct from them. Oftentimes that may take a couple more days shipping. You may not get it in one day or two days, it may be five days or seven days. But that by far is the most safest place to buy that from.

[Marielle Segarra]

Okay, so takeaway 1. Whenever possible, if you're shopping online, buy directly from a brand that you trust. You can do that on the brand's website. You can also do that through an E commerce platform like Amazon, but that's a little trickier because you'll need to make sure you're actually buying from the brand and not from the platform itself or from a third party seller on that platform. A quick note here. Amazon, Target, CVS and Walmart have all been sponsors of NPR at some point. It's not why I mentioned them, but you know, full disclosure, Carrie says, but there's another way to shop on E Commerce platforms and that's buying from a third party seller.

[Carrie Camel]

They acquire product some way, really. Usually it's unknown how they acquire it and they post it for sale on an E commerce platform. So if you're looking for a particular brand and you're on one of these sites, you may find five listings for that particular product you're looking for. You may find 10,000 listings.

[Marielle Segarra]

And that's something not everyone realizes when they're shopping on Amazon or on Walmart.com, which also allows for third party sellers or on other e commerce platforms. You're not now necessarily buying a product directly from a brand or from the platform itself. Often you'll be buying from a third party that you don't know anything about.

[Carrie Camel]

Now, are all third party sellers bad actors? Certainly no. But what's happened is counterfeiters and other bad actors have found this to be a bit of a loophole for essentially getting in front of consumers on E commerce platforms. So this is an area where it becomes really more challenging for a consumer to understand. You know, what do these postings actually mean? Because you may see the brand name of your product there and think, oh, well, there it is. And the picture looks just like the product I buy. So sometimes it takes a little digging on these sites to click through like, okay, this is the product, who is selling it, where are they located? And sometimes it'll take you a couple clicks down the road and you'll see something like, you know, cheap kitchen goods, but you're there to buy an electronic or you're there to buy a backpack. These can be warning signs, right? Why would someone who's selling kitchen utensils all of a sudden be also selling electronics or backpacks or something else? So sometimes that disconnect is obvious and you can see it, but you have to be able to slow down for a minute because that's the goal when you're shopping. Safe, right? Is to say, where is my product coming from and can I be sure about this before I purchase it?

[Marielle Segarra]

Takeaway 2. If you're shopping on an E commerce site and you are thinking about buying from a third party seller, do some digging. Check to see who you're actually buying from. If this is Amazon, you're going to look for the words sold by on the right hand side of the page and then click on the seller information. Do they list an address? What kinds of products do they sell? What's their company name? If you search for it online, do you find anything? Kerry says you should be especially careful when it Comes to things like pharmaceuticals.

[Carrie Camel]

It's very easy to counterfeit pharmaceuticals, especially if you're thinking of something like a pill, right? You can buy a pill press, you know, make your, make your own pills. It's something very easy and very low cost to counterfeit. And I've heard people say, oh, well, what's, you know, what's the worst that's gonna happen? It just has like a little, you know, salt water in it or something like that. And actually, no, that isn't the worst that can happen. That's probably, you know, on the good side. The worst that can happen is it's full of a bunch of poison, right? And it can really, it can really hurt somebody. And oftentimes they may not even know where the root of their problem is coming from. They may think it's something totally different because they naively thought that the product that they bought online was safe, like it would have been if they'd purchased it in a store.

[Marielle Segarra]

So I'm thinking like, for instance, if I'm buying some sort of medication or personal care product online, I pretty much only want to buy it directly from the seller, from the brand itself or the manufacturer.

[Carrie Camel]

So if you're buying a medication, at least if it's prescription based, you should only be buying it from a authorized pharmacy, for example. So there's a great organization out there called the alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies and they do a lot of work on what pharmacies online are actually legitimate and what aren't. And a very scary statistic. I think it's well over 90% of online pharmacies are fake. So for example, if you shop with one of the biggest, you know, national chain pharmacies, they, they will have a website and ways that you can order online or get mail order. That's a legitimate location, right? That may not be direct from the actual manufacturer of the pharmaceutical, but it's from a pharmacy and they're, they're licensed. You know, in order to do that, as far as like consumer care products, you, you may want to still buy that from a pharmacy or another, I would say another retailer that doesn't allow third party sellers.

[Marielle Segarra]

Takeaway 3 Only get prescription medication from a licensed pharmacy. FDA.gov links to the pharmacy licensing databases for states and US territories. You can click on yours and see if your pharmacy is listed. If not, the FDA says don't use that pharmacy. And Carrie says if you're taking some non prescription pill or supplement, don't get it from a random third party seller online and don't buy pills on social media either. It's too risky. Is there anything you would never buy from a third party seller online?

[Carrie Camel]

Yeah, quite a few things, actually. I would never buy vitamins, I would never buy, of course, pharmaceuticals. But even, even other things too. Like, you know, I mean, there's this, there was this case that was out of Ohio a couple years ago. It seemed really, really innocuous that this woman bought a retractable dog leash, snapped off and blinded her. You know, just things that you might not think are super high risk could potentially be really high risk. Right. And it certainly isn't saying that every third party seller out there is a bad actor or is selling counterfeit products. There's a lot of legitimate sellers out there that are doing this too. Right. That you can, you can find them and you can see that, you know, they, they have their own business and, and they're located in, you know, a certain area and they have a good reputation online. I mean, another thing to look at too, is reviews. Reviews aren't always, you know, 100% accurate or even 100% real, but sometimes those can be big, big indicators as well. To say there's a lot of people saying, like, what is this product that I got? Or, you know, I ordered shampoo and I instead got, you know, jack for my car. Like, what's going on here? Yeah.

[Marielle Segarra]

Or they might say like, this shampoo burned my scalp.

[Carrie Camel]

Yes.

[Marielle Segarra]

And if you see a bunch of that, definitely don't order the shampoo.

[Carrie Camel]

Correct. Correct.

[Marielle Segarra]

Yeah. I think what's so scary about personal care products is that you might not know that it's a counterfeit and you're just rubbing this other substance on your scalp or ingesting this thing that you think is food, but it's actually, I don't know, I don't know what it is.

[Carrie Camel]

Yeah. And in that sense, it's, I mean, it's very scary. I mean, we, we've built up as a society, you know, trust in our marketplace and our brick and mortar marketplace. Like when I go to my local pharmacy or my local grocery store, you know, or my local retail box store, I don't question that if I buy a shampoo off the shelf, that it's going to burn my scalp. Right. I mean, if it does, maybe I think, oh, I was allergic to that or, or something to that effect. But online it's a very different space.

[Marielle Segarra]

We've been talking about Amazon a lot. A spokesperson told us in an email that the company has measures in place to prevent counterfeit and unsafe products from being listed and that it continuously monitors the platform, that it'll remove counterfeit and unsafe products, block accounts and even work with law enforcement to protect customers. And that customers can always get a full refund if a product isn't as advertised. Also, Amazon does work with brands to find counterfeiters facilities and get them shut down. In 2023, it identified and disposed of more than 7 million counterfeit products worldwide. I wonder you talked about the trust we have in brick and mortar stores. Are we at all likely to encounter counterfeits at physical stores?

[Carrie Camel]

So I mean in the US we do know it still happens from time to time. It's usually by some bad actor infiltrating a legitimate supply chain. It's not because of just a total failure to vet who is selling products. If you were to buy a counterfeit product from a brick and mortar store, you can go right back to that store and deal with it. Right. I mean there's a lot of different ways to deal with it. If they don't deal with it appropriately, you know where their business address is, you can file a lawsuit. That's the, that's sort of the, the crux of this problem with the third party sellers is that most of them you can't find because once they get shut down, let's say it's discovered that they are selling counterfeit and they may get shut down by one of these e commerce platforms, you can't find them anymore. There's no one to follow up with.

[Marielle Segarra]

Yeah, there's this discount store I used to go to near where I live and I bought a couple of cheap electronics there, like a scale and I bought an alarm clock and I brought them home and neither of them worked and I brought it back and they were like sort of begrudgingly giving me refunds for these things. But I stopped going to that store because basically I was like, well how do I know if your shampoos are not going to work? Because they're not the real deal. You know, it's like I felt like a red flag there in a physical store.

[Carrie Camel]

Yeah.

[Marielle Segarra]

And maybe because they sell things at such a low price, they're not super careful about it.

[Carrie Camel]

Yeah. And speaking about stores like that and also things, I mean similar like flea markets, you know, or other where you have like highly discounted things that, that you can, you sort of know that they may not have come direct from the manufacturer. I mean your situation gave you some red flags to say I'm not sure where this stuff came from. Do I really want to risk it? Probably not.

[Marielle Segarra]

Takeaway. 4. Be careful at in person stores too. Especially if you're getting a steep discount. You can get counterfeits and illegitimate products at brick and mortar stores. What can you do when you have a product in front of you that you've just bought? Are there ways to look at it, to examine the label, to smell, smell it, whatever, to try to determine whether it's a counterfeit?

[Carrie Camel]

So if it's something that we call like an obvious counterfeit. Yeah, you may be able to see that. You know, if you and I say obvious counterfeit, like there's something really glaringly wrong with it, maybe it does smell funny, maybe there's misspellings on the packaging or, you know, just all kinds of things. Like maybe the logo looks wrong or the coloring looks wrong or, you know, I mean it's, it's worth taking a pause to look at it. But unfortunately, as technology is getting better, the counterfeits are getting better too. So there's no way to be able to, you know, 100% say with certainty, like, I know this is the authentic product that I just bought from a third party seller. The only one that can do that is actually the brand or the manufacturer. They're the only ones that can truly authenticate. But what as a consumer we can do is, you know, at least try to go to the safest place we can to buy our products. And then if there is something obvious, to not ignore it. Right. If it is shampoo that's burning your scalp, like, please don't ignore that.

[Marielle Segarra]

Yeah. Well, what should you do if you're, if you suspect that a product you've bought is counterfeit?

[Carrie Camel]

So one is report to whatever place you purchased it from, whether that's an E. Commerce platform, if it's a social media platform, and I would say some of the platforms make it very difficult to report suspected counterfeit. You can only say I'm dissatisfied with the product. But I do think it's important to say I think this is a fake product. And if it is something that's dangerous, to say it right, to put it in writing to let them know that. The other thing that I have done, and again with varying levels of success, is I reach out to the actual brand. And I did this at one point with some face cream that I bought from a brick and mortar store, but it was again one of these discount stores. And I said, I just want to see if you'll let me verify is this really your product? So I read them off the serial Numbers and everything on it. And they said, this is not ours, don't use it. And then in some cases you can report to law enforcement. So a year and a half ago, the Informed Consumers act was passed which requires E commerce platforms that allow sales, you know, above a certain amount to vet the sellers. But within that law, it also opened it up that the state's attorney generals now can bring cases on behalf of their citizens against platforms that they don't think are protecting their citizens. So you know, there are things that can be done. And the other thing I would say too is like just don't, don't use it. Even if it may seem it's safe, it's not worth it.

[Marielle Segarra]

Takeaway 5. If you think you bought a counterfeit or unsafe product online, stop using it and report it to the E commerce platform. You could also reach out to the legitimate brand if this is a counterfeit situation, and ask them, is this your product? And you can report the seller to a US Government agency. There are different ones depending on the situation. If a product was unsafe, for instance, you can report [e-mail] that's the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. For more information on reporting these, go to stopfakes.gov now I said this at the beginning of the episode. A lot of these tips can help you avoid unsafe products in general, not just counterfeits. Because even if something's not a counterfeit, like the seller's not pretending the product is coming from your favorite brand, it could still be illegitimate. Like maybe it says your shampoo contains green tea extract, but actually the only green thing in it is mold. Or you could buy some cheap no name brand lighting for an outdoor party.

[Carrie Camel]

So for example, we bought tent lighting and we bought it from an E commerce platform based here in the US Decent amount of money. It was not, it was not cheap. We got two sets and we went to plug them into the generator and they started sparking. So we called the generator company and they were like, these aren't even made for the US market. This is made for a totally different electrical grid. So again, not counterfeit, but really dangerous. You know, we had to go find something else and you know, find it from a, from a brick and mortar store which took a lot of driving around and phone calls, sort of old school way. So sometimes it isn't as easy as, you know, it's all counterfeit. Sometimes it's a little more complicated too. But how do we make the online space safer regardless?

[Marielle Segarra]

Okay, it's time for A recap takeaway 1 Whenever possible, if you're shopping online, buy directly from a brand that you trust on its website or through an e commerce platform. But just make sure you actually are buying from the brand and not from the platform or from a third party seller. Takeaway 2 if you're shopping on an e commerce platform and thinking about buying from a third party seller, do some digging. See who you're actually buying from. Takeaway 3 Only get prescription medication from a licensed pharmacy. FDA.gov links to the pharmacy licensing databases for states and US territories. You can click on yours and see if the pharmacy is listed. If not, the FDA says do not use that pharmacy. Takeaway 4 Sometimes brick and mortar stores will sell counterfeits and unsafe products. Be careful of places where you're getting steep discounts that seem too good to be true. Takeaway 5 if you think you bought a counterfeit or unsafe product online, stop using it and report it to the e commerce platform and you can report the seller to a US Government agency. For more Life Kit, check out our other episodes. We have one on how to cut down on plastics in your life and another on how to do CPR. You can find [e-mail] LifeKit and if you love Life Kit and want even more, select subscribe to our [e-mail] LifeKitnewsletter Just a reminder that signing up for Life Kit plus is a great way to support our show and public media and you'll get to listen to every episode sponsor free. So please go find out [e-mail] LifeKit this episode of Life Kit was produced by Sylvie Douglas. Our Visuals Editor is Beck Harlan and our digital editor is Malika Grebe. Meghan Keane is our Supervising Editor and Beth Donovan is our Executive Producer. Our production team also includes Andy Taegle, Claire Marie Schneider and Margaret Serino. Engineering support comes from Patrick Murray and David Greenberg. I'm Mariel Segarra. Thanks for listening.

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