Fake Tickle-Me Elmos Cause More Harm than Laughter

The Tickle Me Elmo toy has had parents turning into frenzied shoppers for many Christmas' now. But the furry red character, designed to giggle when tickled in the belly, is experiencing problems in this, its eleventh year on store shelves.

According to an ABC report, bootleg copies of the toy have been appearing in Baltimore mall kiosks.



"This could be an unsafe product. We have no guarantee of its safety," Angie Barnett, of the Better Business Bureau told ABC. "Who knows what that's made of?"

You can avoid this counterfeit toy by

• Noting the name: The counterfeit is called "The Laughing Doll," even though it looks identical to Tickle Me Elmo.
• Price: Ironically, it is the fake in this case which is more expensive. Know and notice your prices.

Click here to watch ABC's news report, "No Laughing Matter."

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Counterfeit Drugs’ Path Eased by Free Trade Zones

Walt Bogdanich of the New York Times has written a number of fascinating articles on counterfeit drugs, and their fatal effects. Just today, his article string 'A Toxic Pipeline,' was updated with an informative piece on exactly how difficult it can be to trace phony medication back to the production line.

Free trade zones can be a very good thing for the global economy, and help products move quicker from one nation to another. But, as Bogdanich points out, they also hide the provenance of fake medications, allowing consumers online for instance to believe their pills have come from small processing plants in the US or Canada when they may have originated in dirty factories in Dubai.

"An examination of [an earlier] case reveals its link to a complex supply chain of fake drugs that ran from China through Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Britain and the Bahamas, ultimately leading to an Internet pharmacy whose American customers believed they were buying medicine from Canada, according to interviews with regulators and drug company investigators in six countries.

The seizure highlights how counterfeit drugs move in a global economy, and why they are so difficult to trace. And it underscores the role played by free trade zones — areas specially designated by a growing number of countries to encourage trade, where tariffs are waived and there is minimal regulatory oversight.

The problem is that counterfeiters use free trade zones to hide — or sanitize — a drug’s provenance, or to make, market or relabel adulterated products, according to anticounterfeiting experts.

“Free trade zones allow counterfeiters to evade the laws of the country because often times the regulations are lax in these zones,” said Ilisa Bernstein, director of pharmacy affairs at the United States Food and Drug Administration. “This is where some of the Internet sellers work,” she added." [Read full story here]

Some consumers purchase drugs on the internet knowing that their country of origin might be questionable, but trusting that the goods are safe. Experts would implore these consumers to understand the health hazards of such a move. Take a recent example of counterfeit pills seized in a free trade zone next to Dubai's main airport. The bundles contained half a million fake Plavix pills, blood-thinning medication made by Sanofi-Aventis.

Some of the medication was little more than cement powder, a Dubai government official said at the time.

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Beware Counterfeit Circuit Breakers: Connecticut Electric Recalls

Connecticut Electric has recalled a total of 64,000 circuit breakers since finding out the product, marked with the "Square D" label, are counterfeit.

These fakes allegedly fail to trip when required. Square D is in the process of removing all such circuit breakers from the market at the moment.

Luckily, no reports of injury have been filed, but the product does pose a threat, so be aware.

For more information, Call Connecticut Electric at (866) 264-3702 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Read the press release here.

New Site Targets Counterfeit Wines

A new website, www.wineauthentication.com, has been launched to help identify and authenticate real wines. Wine connoisseur Russell Frye, who sold over $7.8 million worth of his collection at Sotheby's in May 2006, decided to establish the site to combat counterfeits. The issue of wine fraud has been a hot topic lately, with journalistic giants like The New Yorker taking on the topic of a questionable influx of once-precious vintages. Last September, Slate magazine asked "How big a problem is counterfeit wine?" Not soon after, wine authority Decanter featured a story on how the finest niches of the market are being sullied due to fakes.

"There were more 45s sold and drunk in 1995 than had ever been made," said Serena Sutcliffe, head of Sotheby's international wine department. "A lot of the best wines were virtually finished 30 to 40 years ago, and now they're growing on trees."


Experts say that nearly 5% of fine vintages on the market are counterfeit. But efforts to combat this recent upswing in fakes are growing. A new technology called Prooftag has been released, which features a special metal seal with a unique reference number and pattern, verifiable on the website. John Kapon, the president of auctioneer Acker Merrall & Condit, calls fraudulent wine "an A+++ problem." But with the launch of his new site, Russell Frye hopes to stamp out fakes for good.

"Individual collectors such as myself have discovered that some rare bottles purchased from supposedly trustworthy vendors are not what they seem," says Frye. "I'm sure that most of you have seen the large number of articles that have appeared this past year regarding the subject. Up until now, there was no easily accessible resource available to help people determine the authenticity of these bottles. wineauthentication.com is the very first website to offer help, advice and a community to share experiences and ideas with."

The new website features :

1. An article registry where those interested in wine fraud can keep abreast of the latest news.
2. A discussion forum for consumers to share ideas, tips and concerns about counterfeit wines.
3. Bottle photos to ease inspection of your own vintages.
4. A bottle registry.
5. Counterfeiting solutions, offering expert advice on what to avoid.
6. A list of the top ten fakes.
7. A space to report suspect wines, and an authentication service.
   
   

Here are our own tips on how to spot fake wine:

Analyze the bottle: Glassblowing has changed considerably, and bottles produced today display much more perfect symmetry and such than older pieces of glass. Famous vintages bottled before 1982 will have distinct differences in bottle features that an expert can suggest you look for.
Cork up: Wines bottled at chateaus have proper vintage and brand labels on their corks. But, before the Seventies, many wines were shipped in casks and only later bottled by individual merchants themselves. This led to different corks on the same vintage ("Berry Brothers," "Belgium bottled," et al.) Some vintages even have misprints on their corks or labels, so be sure to look for those in the proper instances.
Be a Label Lover: Is the label on that priceless vintage just too new to be true? Older wines will have somewhat worn or even damaged labels. In fact, wines stored in proper humidity usually have some label staining due to condensation. Besides the look of the label, check spelling, typeface etc.
Check Provenance: The most premium wines have lived in the cellars of their respective chateaus since they were bottled. This can't always be the case, but be aware that wines which have questionable trading trails can also have questionable authenticity.
Crystallization and Sediments: Those new to the wine market might think sedimentation is a fault in the wine. Actually, this is a natural occurrence in many wines, most especially those which are older, where the settling of solid matter is simply a sign of age and not quality. Be wary of vintage bottles that don't display this common 'problem.'

That said, even authentic wines might come heavily discounted if there are faults with their individual bottles. Wine collection is a serious business, but even the most zealous of collectors don't believe it's worth acquiring bad bottles of authentic vintages. Common faults with wine include liquid that has been 'cooked,' corked or even oxidized. Cooked wine has been sitting in temperatures too high to be ideal, which leads to a stewed flavor. Signs that this has happened include corks that are not flush with or below the level of the mouth of the bottle. This indicates the wine has been heated, which causes expansion and pushes the cork higher. Corked wine is a common fault, and occurs when corks become infected by a fungus that produces TCA, or 1,2,4-trichloroanisole.

Take care to buy from reputable merchants. Wine expert Jim Budd's website offers examples of fraudsters in the European wine market, so be sure to check that list.

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How to Spot Counterfeit Webkinz

Webkinz are so cute we can't help but smile. Having been released three years ago, many toy collectors say they are only now getting their due. The selling niche for these adorable stuffed animals has gotten bigger and bigger, and many people turn to eBay to grab one as a last minute gift for their little loved one.

eBay user brilliant_baby has some great tips on how to avoid fake Webkinz both on and offline, as the popularity for these furry friends has meant counterfeiters target them.

"One way to guard against buying a counterfeit is to bid only on items that have the actual picture of the item you are bidding on. Ganz does not allow use of their photos on eBay so if your potential seller is disregarding copyright and trademark laws in this regard, what other policies or laws may they be disregarding?

Also, know that Ganz attaches a unique code to each Webkinz using two short plastic tags that go through the plastic-encased tag through their leg and out the other side. There is also a blue ribbon that goes around the leg and through the plastic holder. If your tag is not attached in this way, it has likely been tampered with. The code can only be used once and Ganz will not replace them. If you suspect your code has been used, the only way to find out is to register it. But if you are intending to collect Webkinz and not play with them on-line, that won’t help you- you’ll have to see about getting a refund or exchange from your seller.

Regarding the magic “W”, the original Webkinz did not have the embroidered “W” (found on the foot or rump) and so they are rarer and tend to sell for more. It is not an indication of authenticity."

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