Consumers in the UK have been warned about the growing threat of dangerous counterfeit goods being sold via social media platforms and other online portals.
Clever fraudsters are increasingly using digital technologies to dupe consumers, including selling fake items through social media where it is easy to conceal identities and disguise contact details, the UK's National Trading Standards (NTS) says.
Criminals are also disguising themselves as well-known brands before luring users to their external sites with low prices, the NTS said in its overview of the key threats and activity its teams have dealt with over the past year.
The continuing expansion of online marketplaces is also expected to lead to a growth in the number of "micro-importers" in the UK who order goods for onward sale, which has been behind seizures of dangerous fake electrical products.
The report said the interception of criminal scams had saved consumers millions of pounds over the last year and resulted in 77 convictions.
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