Counterfeit perfume: Probably not the best Mother's Day gift

Are you thinking about buying perfume for mom this Mother’s Day? Be careful. According to The Counterfeit Report, consumers are easy targets for dangerous counterfeit fragrances. Dangerous? Yup.

“These consumers and the gift recipients would be alarmed to learn that lab tests on counterfeit fragrances identified ingredients such as antifreeze, urine, lead, and bacteria which can result in infections and rashes. Additionally, the counterfeit fragrance scent does not match the authentic item and often lasts only minutes, not hours like the authentic product,” according to The Counterfeit Report.

Getting fooled is one of the most frustrating reasons for buyer’s remorse. But most consumers believe they’re aware enough to avoid being duped by a fake product.

"That is simply not true" says Craig Crosby, publisher of The Counterfeit Report^® website.

"Consumers looking for a bargain are handing over good money for bad products at near retail prices believing they are purchasing the real thing."

Counterfeit fragrances are just one example of how easily consumers are fooled by counterfeit products, Crosby said. Authentic looking counterfeit perfumes and colognes of all the major manufacturers are purchased by unsuspecting consumers on places like eBay and Amazon Marketplace for personal use or given as gifts.

Think you can spot a counterfeit?

"Probably not," said Crosby, who reviews hundreds of counterfeit products.

"Serious problems and hazards await unsuspecting consumers who unknowingly use counterfeit products every day that are widely distributed over Internet websites, auction websites, and swap meets."

Manufacturing and selling counterfeit products is a big business. Crosby said counterfeit product industry is expected to top $1.5 trillion globally this year.

The Counterfeit Report website features over 250 global brands and a wide array of counterfeit products including hundreds of photos to educate and help consumers visually identify the fakes.

"If it's manufactured, it's probably been counterfeited and is likely fool you" said Crosby.

Crosby pointed to the avalanche of counterfeit goods from Internet retailers and auction websites that look authentic, but are poor quality or unsafe.

“Global giants eBay and Amazon feature listings that convey an illusion of seller credibility, and can lead the consumer into mistakenly believing the product featured is genuine or authentic. The sales technique is the same and simple; consumers shopping for ‘a good internet deal’ see website listings displaying the manufacturer's (stock) product photo of authentic everyday products; fragrances, phone chargers, sporting goods, batteries, and much, much more. However, what the consumer often receives is an expertly crafted counterfeit, specifically designed, manufactured and packaged to deceive them – and they are.”

Contributing to the false appearance of credibility is the fact that buyers usually give the seller favorable feedback simply because the product arrives quickly, looks authentic and they believe it is. Worse, the products may end up as gifts, and will often go unidentified for a period of time, or are discovered only after the seller has vanished. Many counterfeit products are identified later when the products fail or are returned to the manufacturer for warranty or repairs, robbing the consumer of their investment, without a product and unable to change the feedback.

The cycle gets worse when the counterfeit products enter the legitimate retailer stream.

“Counterfeit products can also be substituted for locally purchased authentic products and returned to retailers for a refund. The barcodes scan correctly, and accompanied by a receipt, may go un-noticed by untrained sales staff. Undetected, the counterfeit is returned to store inventory and sold to an unsuspecting consumer.”

Crosby presents counterfeit products to retail staffers who are astonished at the appearance and visual quality of the counterfeit items.

Have you unknowingly purchased counterfeit fragrances before? What was your experience with them? Please leave your comments below or tweet to us @yahooshopping.

Mother's Day isn't the only holiday when fake products are in full circulation. Handbags and UGG boots are huge sellers online during the holidays, and if the price seems too good to be true, you need to be aware. See the video below for more information: