A company found to be selling 240 fake Samsung and Apple products worth £4,493 has been fined £2,500.
Tower Hamlets Council’s Trading Standards Officers received a complaint from a shopper about a suspected counterfeit Samsung charger brought from Watney Internet Ltd, Watney Street.
Council officers attended with a representative from Samsung and seized Apple and Samsung products that were suspected of being fake.
The Apple products were sent to Apple and were also found to be counterfeit.
Watney Internet Ltd and its director, Jaheeda Khatun, pleaded guilty at Thames Magistrates Court on 13 June for selling fake Samsung adapters, cables and earphones and Apple cables and earpods.
The company Watney Internet Ltd was fined £2,500 for selling the fake goods and Jaheeda Khatun was given a 12 month conditional discharge, which means she could face prison if caught committing another similar offence.
Cllr Kabir Hussain, Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Emergency, said:
“Buying fake goods can be dangerous as they will not have undergone the same rigorous testing that legitimate manufacturers apply to their products.
“Criminal organisations are also often involved in the production of counterfeit goods, with many also trafficking drugs, firearms and people. Therefore, by buying counterfeit goods, you could be unknowingly supporting organised crime.”
If you suspect that you have bought a product that is counterfeit, email Tower Hamlets Trading Standards at trading.standards@towerhamlets.gov.uk
Posted on Friday 30th June 2023