英伦广角 2011-01-09 假冒商品大量走私进入英国市（在线收听）

Stashed on shelf after shelf, seized counterfeit goods worth millions of pounds. And the amount being smuggled into the country is on the increase.

“Counterfeiting is rising because of the pressure on the economy. The smugglers are actively attacking the UK, sending dodgy goods into the UK to the marketplace, and ripping off the British consumer.”

From April 2009 to April 2010, seven million pounds worth of counterfeit items were seized at Heathrow alone. The same amount was discovered in the following six months. So the UK Border Agency expects the amount to double this financial year.

Christmas is one of their busiest times, so more staff fall on shift, but the criminals are constantly finding new ways to beat the system.

“Often, legitimate items are imported along with counterfeit labels. And when they arrive in the UK, the labels are stuck onto the item. The markup can be massive, but because the labels are so small, it makes it harder for the UK Border Agency to spot them.”

Once discovered, companies, police and trading standards try to prosecute the criminals, and then the items are destroyed. But successful smugglers avoid paying duty and VAT.

“The downside to the economy is we're losing jobs. We're losing manufacturing jobs. We're losing retail jobs, where these companies just can't compete with people selling on the street, selling online, at cheap prices, thereby undermining the whole structure of retail and wholesale. ”

Counterfeit goods can be poorly made, even dangerous. But do we care when the price is right?

“Well, I thought it was fairly good.”

“Even that you knew it's a counterfeit, you still buy it.”

“Yeah. Why not?”

“And as you can't trust it, to be lured, I think I may"

“The quality of the goods can become questionable. I think I would rather buy from a reputable store. ”

We are being warned not to buy counterfeit goods this Christmas as the profit made often funds other crimes. It is a shadowy industry, but also a lucrative one.