Thousands of fake electrical goods seized in Sharjah

Shoppers are being urged not to buy fake electrical appliances following the seizure of 37,000 suspected counterfeit products.

Powered by automated translation

SHARJAH // Shoppers are being urged not to buy fake electrical appliances following the seizure of 37,000 suspected counterfeit products bearing international brand names by officials at Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD). The goods were seized from premises in Sharjah following a complaint by an agent of the genuine brands. The goods are believed to contain fake circuit breakers - automatically operated switches designed to protect overloads or short circuits and break electrical flow if it detects a fault - meaning the products would be more prone to causing electrical fires. Members of the gang responsible for selling the goods in and outside of the UAE have since been arrested by Sharjah Police and confessed to selling counterfeit products, said Hamad al Midfaa, the deputy director of SEDD's Legal Affairs Section. "SEDD formed a team to follow up on the complaint and has take the necessary actions against those involved in trading in fake products," he said in a statement. "It seized all the counterfeit goods after tracking the fake electric cables and was able to identify those who were receiving these cables." The goods have been seized by the SEDD and inspectors from the Commercial Control and Protection Department. They are being stored in warehouses until they are confirmed as counterfeit, at which point they will be destroyed.