WHEN FAKE BECOMES FAD Duplicate Mobile Phones Find Willing Buyers

Ritchie Street is the electronic hub of the city. The latest mobile phones, laptops, computer peripherals – you name it, they have it. But, have you paused to take a close look at the smart phone you got from there? It might be a fake. The type of fake product that floods the market depends on the demand, and experts say now it’s the time of electronic goods, especially mobile phones. In a street full of shops with genuine and fake goods, consumers can tell the difference only if they do their homework before purchase. Some knowingly buy a fake — why not, when you get a phone for 5,000 which is an imitation of something worth 32,000? Some others, however, are cheated by the sellers who claim it to be an original and price it closer. “I know mine is not an original Samsung Note. But, I don’t mind since it has all the features, and costs much less. I’ll be happy if it works for a year,” says a 25-yearold power plant employee. “The counterfeit market flourishes partly because of willing customers,” says Prateep V Philip, ADGP, CB-CID (crime). While afake mobile phone may not be a dangerous purchase, spurious cosmetics, automobile parts and electrical equipment can harm customers.

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