With Christmas approaching, consumers are being urged not to support international organised crime by purchasing counterfeit goods.
The search for bargains is ever more frantic as many households struggle to tighten their belts in a tough financial climate.
Trading Standards fears that will see more members of the public turn to the internet and unscrupulous sellers in the hope of finding low-price goods or cheap knock-offs.
Some consumers will be aware they are purchasing counterfeit goods but others will simply be seduced by low prices for apparently genuine goods, according to Perth and Kinross Trading Standards Officer Chris Jolly.
All will, however, unwittingly, feed into a global criminal trade, supporting illegal activities that can scar communities and destroy lives.
By dealing with such sellers, Mr Jolly warned that consumers also risk opening themselves up to serious fraud and identity theft and put their bank accounts at risk.
”There are an increasing number of people buying items online, often looking to source high-value products that cannot be found cheaply elsewhere,” he said.
”Sourcing products online and looking for a bargain is, of course, not in itself a problem. However, if you are getting a pair of UGG boots or GHD hair straighteners for £25 then the likelihood is that they will not be real.”
The website fakesfundcrime.org.uk contains information about counterfeit goods, how to spot them and the trade’s links to organised crime.