Introducing the game that’s taken our office by storm - Spot the Fake. Productivity is at an all time low as we try and beat each other’s scores and be the best ‘fake spotter’ around. With authenticity being an increasing problem in the United Kingdom, it’s important to be able to tell the difference between a real and a fake item, especially when buying online.

Catwalk Queen shared some tips on authenticity - have a look at the video. To sharpen your skills on identifying a fake, play the game below. Then play again to beat your score, send it, share it, slap it on your blog. But be warned. It’s a little bit moreish.

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Last week was an important one for the koodos team as it marked our first-ever national Authenticity Week. We set out to arm our customers with knowledge to help them in the fight against fakes, and were over-whelmed by the support and interest the week attracted.

With the help of our friends at Catwalk Queen, The Bag Lady, Vauxhall Fashion Scout, Leju Designs, Forward PR and OpSec Security we brought you informative posts on everything from How to spot a fake, to which celebrities have been caught out in fakes, to the true cost of your designer purchase with an insight into the child labour involved in the illegal trade.

What is more, we saw great success with both our Authenticity game and our Sex and the City competition.

The media showed their support with regional radio stations interviewing Gabrielle and Amanda, two of our authenticity gurus, and excitingly, there maybe some T.V coverage soon with ITV’s Loose Women picking up on the story.

So with Authenticity week at koodos having been a resounding success, we can’t wait to do it again next year.

And just before we let you off, here’s a little test for you… Can you tell the real Chloe from the fake? Go on, after all our training, we know you can!

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How about “A genuine Chloe Paddington replica – only £100″ or “Perfect Prada imitation sunglasses for £40″ or “No one loses out – designers have enough dosh anyway?” Whether its bags, shoes, sunglasses or scent, we have all heard these tempting traders’ chants in our bustling markets; and there is no doubt that in our towns and cities the illegal counterfeit trade is booming.

We’ve all heard the excuses: “Why not - what’s the big deal?” and “Why should I pay the real price when I can get a great fake for one fifth of the cost?”.

These reasons for purchase have helped what was a £3 billion trade in 1998 grow into the £300 billion all-consuming, monster market it is today – certainly able to withstand even the toughest of economic setbacks. With counterfeit goods making up to 10% of all UK trading, it is fair to say these figures are shocking.

Our general attitude towards fakes and counterfeits has relaxed, with A-list celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez and Nelly Furtado openly wearing replicas. We begin to think if they do it, we can too.

Sadly, the issues surrounding the lucrative counterfeit trade go deeper than simply saving a few quid or keeping up with the latest trends. It cuts a sinister line through the purpose of the free market and embeds deep within your conscience, when you consider that one of the largest crime epidemics the world has ever seen is caused, funded and supported by people like you and me.

We, the buyers, are the final link in the chain for the trade that organised crime thrives upon, with intelligence showing connections to the Chinese Triads, Serbian criminals, the Italian Mafia and Far Eastern crime syndicates. The crimes listed are equally as intense, with prostitution, child labour, people smuggling, bribery, extortion, murder and even suggestions of terrorism, all being funded by fakes.

A victimless crime this certainly is not and the fake goods trade in the UK continues to grow. So we ask you to think next time you are tempted by a that seemingly great deal on a Prada handbag and remember what you are really paying for.

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We’re happy to welcome Julie Cotterill, Director of Brand Protection from security firm OpSec Security as a guest author in support of National Authenticity Week.

Unfortunately, the internet is a haven for counterfeit designer goods. Since you can’t physically examine the item before you purchase it, it can be extremely difficult to establish its authenticity. Internet auction sites such as eBay cannot guarantee the authenticity of the merchandise as they act purely as an online marketplace and not as the direct seller of the goods. It is extremely easy for the sellers of counterfeit goods to pose as genuine by setting up what looks like authorised retail websites or genuine auction listings. As a quick guide, we would advise buyers to take the following steps when purchasing designer goods online:

1. Buy from the original designers’ websites, or from sites such as koodos.com so you can guarantee the source.
2. Make sure you have the ability to return the goods for your money back before making your purchase.
3. Stay away from auctions sites which use images taken directly from the designers’ own images of the product and are not an image of the exact product you are buying.
4. Sometimes designer goods have certificates of authenticity which should be included when you purchase the genuine article, especially leather goods. If not, ask for the original purchase receipt.
5. 

   When you receive the item, if it is supposed to be brand new, check the labels – do they look genuine? Also check the product itself as some designers use authentication devices such as holograms on the labelling.

6. If you are in any doubt as to the authenticity of the item, check with the original brand manufacturer. If it is counterfeit, make sure you report this to the brand manufacturer and the auction site where you purchased the goods from so they can take action.

Keep these tips in mind, and you’ll enjoy your real designer purchases for a good long time.

- written by Julie from OpSec Security.

For more discussion, tips, articles and reference concerning all things authentic, click here for our collection of useful links.

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We’re happy to welcome Gemma from Catwalk Queen as a guest author in support of National Authenticity Week.

With more cash to splash than your average shopper, it probably comes as a surprise that some celebrities still fall for fakes. When Courtney Love stepped out in an unmarked dress supposedly sent to her publicist, she set alarm bells ringing at Chanel. The dress was a dead ringer for a catwalk sample that had never left Paris, and Karl Lagerfeld was less than pleased at the rip-off!

Even label hound Victoria Beckham hasn’t escaped unscathed. She once accessorised her designer outfit with a Louis Vuitton monogram belt, which surprised folks at LV, who’d never seen the design before. Louis Vuitton also sued Britney Spears’ record company for featuring faked monogram fabric in her ‘Do Something’ music video. As far as we know, they’ve never covered a Hummer dashboard in pink cherry blossom leather!

On the other end of the scale, Tyra Banks declared war on fakes with a segment on how to spot a counterfeit on her talk show. For this she teamed up with the amazing blog Counterfeit Chic, which is full of great info on how to spot fakes, and why we should be avoiding them.

Finally, P Diddy has gone to great lengths to protect the reputation of his Sean John label, by creating the ‘Don’t Buy A Lie’ website for Canadian customers. The site shows the difference between the real deal and cheap fakes – from uneven stitching to missing linings – and really shows why buying a fake may (sometimes) save you money, but also means a great compromise in quality.

- written by Gemma from Catwalk Queen.

Are you on Facebook? Show your support of National Authenticity Week by joining our Facebook group called Authentic Fashion Only. And watch this space - tomorrow you can challenge your friends on our great viral game called Spot the Fake.

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Are you the real deal?

It turns out that many Brits aren’t. We recently surveyed 1,000 Brits and found out that one third own a fake designer item, so we decided to do our part to raise awareness of the true costs of buying fake by launching National Authenticity Week. We believe that buying real is worth the investment, and have put together, with our friends at Catwalk Queen, this handy authentic buying guide.

Our goal in launching National Authenticity Week is to encourage everyone to take a second look at what they are buying and where they are buying it – make sure you are getting the real thing. We’re proud to be supported in the effort by Catwalk Queen, The Bag Lady, Vauxhall Fashion Scout, LeJu Designs, Forward PR, and OpSec Security.

All week we will be bringing you fun stuff and useful information, so check back early and often. See how quickly you can spot the fake in our koodos authenticity game; discover how fellow Brits feel about counterfeiting from our recent survey, and hear from experts in the industry on what we can do to stop it. Even the Sex and the City girls get in on the act – test your trivia knowledge and enter to win free tickets. We’d love to hear from you. Have you ever purchased a fake designer item?

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