Muscat – The CPA has issued an advisory to create awareness about specific differences between adulterated and genuine goods.
Below are the tips from the CPA:
Before buying any product you need, make sure of:

1. Trademark: The original brand has a mark or logo that distinguishes it from others. Counterfeit goods imitate trademarks and place them randomly with faded writing and colors that are not free of errors.
2. Barcode: The fabricated barcode attached to the counterfeit goods is an adhesive tape and not a barcode engraved on the package as is the case in the original goods.
3. Country of origin: You must know the country of origin of the imported goods. You must make sure that the country of origin on the outer packaging is the same as on the product itself.
4. Price: The price of counterfeit goods is usually cheaper compared to the original goods.
5. Packaging: The packaging in the original goods is usually valuable and thick engraved with the company or product code and serial number with all its data, and it is often wrapped in soft light and valuable plastic wrap in which traces of adhesive do not appear like the covers of counterfeit goods.
6. Material: For clothes or leather goods that are not counterfeit, they have a soft material rich in texture, unlike the roughness of counterfeit products. As for aromatic products, you find them rich in pigments that give them a distinctive dark colour, unlike the original perfumes.
7. Place of purchase: Counterfeit goods are usually not sold in trusted stores as they deal with companies, factories or suppliers and agents of original goods.
8. Warranty: If you intend to buy a durable commodity, make sure that there is a period and a quality assurance certificate because counterfeit goods do not enjoy protection and warranty procedures.
9. After-sales service: Shops that sell original goods provide after-sales services such as maintenance and provision of spare parts or replacement and return in the event of any defects in the manufacture of the product. This does not happen with adulterated goods.
10. Quality of manufacture: This is what appears in the product material, its shape and appearance of the package.