Counterfeit regulations warning, as fakes seized 07 November 2013
Engineers and engineering managers are being warned of using counterfeit copies of key publications like the IET Wiring Regulations BS 7671:2008(2011), following the seizure in Dover, by Kent Trading Standards, of 845 counterfeit copies of these regulations as they made their way to the UK from Latvia.
Kent County Council Trading Standards, which has been working closely with the UK Border Agency, estimates the seizure value at £67,000.
The IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology), which is the authority on electrical standards, is advising people to buy copies of the regulations from reputable sources or directly from the IET, warning that counterfeit copies could cause harm, due to false or incomplete information.
Mark Coles, technical regulations manager at the IET, is also calling on the electrical industry to get in touch if anyone believes they have purchased a fake copy of the regulations.
"The IET was immediately alerted by trading standards officers," he says. "An illegal shipment of this size confirms that the counterfeiting of electrical standards publications is becoming a source of profit for criminals.
"With this in mind, we will be doing all we can to make it more difficult to counterfeit our books and other knowledge resources."
And Mark Rolfe, Kent County Council trading standards manager, adds: "This is an unusual demonstration that criminals will counterfeit anything to make illegal profit.
"These books are a vital resource for legitimate electrical contractors who rely on them to make sure the work they do in our homes and workplaces is safe. A legitimate contractor would have no way of knowing whether these fakes contain complete and correct information for them to rely on. "
Brian Tinham
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Institution of Engineering & Technology
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