HP claims it confiscated more than 3.5 million fake print products over 12-month period

646,000 of the counterfeit print products were across EMEA between November 2020 and October 2021

HP claims it confiscated more than 3.5 million fake print products over 12-month period

HP says it has seized more than 3.5 million fraudulent print products, parts and components during the past year as it claims counterfeiters are increasingly selling their goods online.

Between November 2020 and October 2021, HP's Anti-Counterfeit and Fraud team confiscated 646,000 counterfeit print products across EMEA, an additional 400,000 across the Americas, and a further 2.5 million across the APAC region.

Items confiscated include large numbers of ink and toner cartridges.

"Counterfeiters are increasingly turning to the online space to sell their fraudulent wares" said Guillaume Gerardin, global head and general manager of print supplies at HP.

"As a result, it's becoming more difficult for customers to identify counterfeit cartridges at the point of purchase.

"This is why it's so important that HP continues to work with online marketplaces to help spot and remove listings for counterfeit products, as well as track down the source of these goods."

In August 2021, 13,000 illicit items were seized from a residential property in the Dammam Metropolitan Area of Saudi Arabia while in East Africa, a series of ten raids between July and September led to the seizure of 7,000 counterfeit items across Kenya and Tanzania.

HP said the shift to online trading of counterfeit supplies has been further exacerbated by COVID-19, with HP increasing its online de-listings by 19 per cent year-over-year.

"When vendors, partners, distributors and local law enforcement work closely together, we can reduce the instances of fake print products coming to market," said Glenn Jones, global head of HP's anti-counterfeiting program.

"As pandemic restrictions are lifted and employees resume going into office, IT decision makers must remain vigilant and wary of cheap office products flooding the market that could be counterfeits. "