Currency counterfeiting is as common as it is harmful
The act and result of falsifying are called falsifying . This verb ( false ), meanwhile, refers to corrupting, adulterating or falsifying something .
Alteration and deception
Counterfeiting involves creating or altering a product or document with the intention of passing it off as real . In this way, the action aims to generate deception : the intention is for people to think that the counterfeit item is the original or true good.
It is important to mention that falsification constitutes a crime . A work of art , a banknote or an item from a famous brand can be subject to counterfeiting.
It is possible that counterfeiting constitutes fraud or a violation of intellectual or industrial property . The classification of the fault depends on the characteristics of the operation.
Counterfeit money
Counterfeit coins and bills are those that are manufactured without the endorsement of the State . Counterfeiting money is a multi-million dollar illegal business that governments try to prevent by including different security measures in paper money.
A counterfeit one hundred dollar bill, for example, can be mistakenly taken as legal tender : that is, it can be thought to be "worth" one hundred dollars. But in reality, it is nothing more than an ordinary piece of paper that has no value.
Examples on the market
Counterfeit products, on the other hand, imitate the originals to confuse consumers. Suppose someone makes t-shirts in a small workshop and puts the Adidas logo on them. Then he sells the clothes passing them off as Adidas creations, with a price in line with that brand . What this individual is doing is a fake.
Fashion electronic devices are among the most counterfeited products on the market. Although consumers with more experience and technical knowledge do not easily fall into the trap, counterfeiting especially targets the rest of the people, punishing them for their good will with a product that does not have the quality of the original or directly lacks its specific functions. The case of video game consoles is very serious, because the imitations do not even run the original games, but generally include emulators from previous generations.
Returning to the T-shirt example, although nothing can justify the crime of counterfeiting, it can at least result in a product that the consumer can use. However, devices that are manufactured using simply the external appearance of the originals but with considerably inferior or completely different internal components are of no use.
Consumer protection
Online sales platforms usually ensure that their clients are protected by them in the event of a scam. However, there is also fine print in these promises; For example, some require the use of a particular payment method to guarantee a refund . In other words, if we buy a product and are deceived but we have not paid with said method, the company ignores it and we must deal with it on our own, as if we were the culprits.
It is recommended to read the warranty conditions before purchasing
It is important to note that it is almost impossible to be safe from counterfeiting, at least on the Internet. In stores where each customer creates their own ads, the risk is much higher than in those that track and distribute the products. But even in the latter there may be cases of imitations and other fraudulent procedures . A very common example is that of counterfeit memory cards, although they are generally betrayed by their price (excessively low) compared to the suggested price.
It is therefore advisable to review the conditions of a store before making a purchase, to meet all warranty requirements. Regarding sellers, it doesn't hurt to read the opinions of their previous clients before trusting them.