Say “fake goods” and most people picture knockoff purses or a too-good-to-be-true watch. But copies show up way past the mall, and vape products get hit a lot. Printing a convincing box is cheap. Making sure what’s inside matches it? Not so much.
Read the Packaging Closely
Brands that care about their name spend real money on packaging. Copies usually cut corners. Typos are a dead giveaway. So is fuzzy printing, a seal that’s missing or torn, or no batch or lot number anywhere on the thing. If the box doesn’t name a company, or give you any way to reach one, be wary. And if you can, hold it up next to a package you trust and just compare.
Test the Code, Then the Hardware
Lots of boxes have a QR code or a short verification code on them. Before you trust whatever pops up, read the web address it opens. Fake pages love using a name that’s one letter off from the real brand. Real codes are usually designed to check out one time, so if you get a message saying yours was already used, that’s a bad sign.
Then look at the device itself. The pieces should line up neatly, and there shouldn’t be oil on the outside. A disposable should tell you who made it, either on the unit or on the box.
A two-location shop in Kansas City pulled these checks together into this checklist for its customers. The same page gets into copycat brand sites that take your payment, ship nothing, and then come back asking for more. The shop sells to adults 21 and above only, and only in person.
Fake Goods, Real Risks
Counterfeiting is common enough that the federal government runs public awareness campaigns about it. U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Fake Goods, Real Dangers campaign warns that the dangers of counterfeits aren’t always easy to spot. CBP points out that fakes turn up online and in regular stores, and it tells shoppers to stick with trusted sellers.
Good advice for anything with a famous logo on it.
Copycat Websites
Some fakes come with a whole fake storefront attached. Shoppers have described paying a site that looked official, getting nothing, and then receiving a message demanding an extra fee for some kind of permit or license. Sometimes there’s a threat thrown in too.
No real company makes you pay twice for an order you already paid for. Check the spelling of the web address against the brand’s actual name. If a seller asks for more money after checkout, walk away. Don’t pay again hoping to get the first payment back. Save the emails and receipts in case you need to dispute the charge with your bank.
Oh, and a price way under what everybody else charges? Worth a second look.
Buy Where You Can Go Back
Buying from a seller you can find again goes a long way. A store with an address and a phone number gives you somewhere to go if something seems off. A stranger online, or a deal in a parking lot, can’t give you that. It’s also totally reasonable to ask a shop where its stock comes from.
If you think you got a fake, stop using it. Keep the packaging and the receipt, because that batch number matters. Then contact the brand by typing its web address in yourself, instead of following anything printed on the package.