HP Inc. today announced that its HP Anti-Counterfeiting and Fraud (ACF) Program has seized US$2.5 million in counterfeit supplies and delisted over 12,800 online sites in the last 7 months across Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore. As consumers turn to online shopping, the risk associated with it has increased. To bolster protection and support for online partners and HP consumers, HP extended its ACF efforts to the online retail space. In the Philippines, a number of counterfeit supplies were seized and 109 were delisted from online shopping sites.
Trade in counterfeit and pirated goods has risen steadily in the last few years, accounting for at least 3.3% of global trade. In South East Asia, the range of counterfeit goods being traded in the black market by organized crime syndicates has grown to include everything from ink and toner print supplies and automobile parts to handbags and alcohol, generating an estimated value up to USD$ 35.9 billion annually.
Counterfeit ink and toner print supplies pose a serious threat to consumers and businesses alike. The use of unlawful counterfeit supplies can result in printer damage, malfunctions, and printer hardware warranties becoming void. More importantly, it can result in lost revenue and unnecessary downtime for consumers and businesses that many cannot afford.
The HP ACF program combats the production and distribution of counterfeit ink and toner print supplies. It delivers added value to consumers, business customers and partners to ensure security, reputation protection, seamless operations and savings on costs as they keep going with tighter resources.
To identify counterfeit sellers, HP scours millions of online product listing pages across South East Asia and Korea – examining uses of the company’s copyrighted imagery, trademarks and other unique identifiers. This helps to identify sellers who are deceiving customers as well as sellers pretending to be authorized resellers. When a seller is confirmed to be retailing counterfeit ink and toner supplies, they are reported to the online marketplaces that act on the information and remove the listings. Authorized online partners also work closely with HP to enhance brand protection and identify the origins of such products to ensure that consumer exposure to counterfeit ink and toner supplies is reduced.
From November 2019 to May 2020, over 12,800 listings were removed across South East Asia and Korea, of which 109 were from the Philippines. This process helps reduce the risk of customers and partners unintentionally purchasing counterfeit ink and toner supplies as they work, learn and earn from home and remote locations.
HP conducts regular checks and raids to reduce counterfeits in the supply chain. For over 20 years, HP has partnered with local law enforcement across South East Asia and Korea to arrest counterfeit resellers who prey on unsuspecting customers and partners both offline and online. In the last eight months, 72 counterfeit resellers have been arrested in raids where local seized items included finished and unfinished cartridges, packaging materials and various sets of labels.
Large and medium-sized HP customers can further protect themselves by requesting for a complimentary Customer Delivery Inspection (CDI) offered at www.hp.com/anticounterfeit. Many customers have benefitted from this service, especially if there is suspicion that they have received counterfeit ink or toner supplies in their delivery from non-authorized resellers. HP also proactively protects channel partners and customers from unauthorized printing supplies through the Channel Partner Protection Audits (CPPA), an audit for HP’s partners. The 187 partners who passed the CPPA this year can communicate this badge of authenticity and originality to their customers. This in turn, gives partners and customers the peace of mind that their ink and toner print supplies are 100 percent genuine.
Companies and consumers can follow the following tips to combat counterfeit ink and toner supplies:
- Authenticate purchases through mobile devices by scanning the QR code on the packaging
- Verify the product online at hp.com/go/ok by entering the product serial number
- Tilt the security label to check for the presence of a holographic image on the security seal label
- Be wary of dubious sales methods and if possible, only buy from HP authorized sales partners
- Explicitly ask for Original HP ink and toner supplies
If you suspect that counterfeit supplies have been purchased, take the following actions:
- Visit hp.com/go/anticounterfeit and click on ‘Report counterfeit’
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