NORFOLK, Va. – Are you willing to bet your health to get an unusually low price on a brand new handheld hair dryer?
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Area Port of Norfolk-Newport News, Va., seized a shipment of 60 counterfeit and dangerous hair dryers from China on Friday. The hand-supported hair dryers, which were destined to an address in Hamilton, N.J., were valued at $4,800.
CBP officers examined the shipment on June 20 and suspected that the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) mark on the hair dryers may have been used without authorization, so officers detained the shipment to verify trademark authenticity.
CBP officers submitted product documentation and photographs to CBP’s trade experts at the Consumer Products and Mass Merchandising Center of Excellence and Expertise (CEE) for analysis. On July 1, CBP’s trade experts verified that the hair dryers were unauthorized to bear the UL marking. Merchandise bearing counterfeit marks is subject to seizure and forfeiture pursuant to CBP’s statutory and regulatory authorities.
Additionally, compliance investigators from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reported on July 2 that the hair dryers were not equipped with the required immersion protection device. The immersion protection device is a circuit interrupter that reduces the risk of electric shock if the hair dryer is immersed in, or otherwise contacts, water.
Counterfeiters generally manufacture products using substandard parts. Affixing the unauthorized UL certification mark falsely implies that a product has been certified to meet quality and safety standards for electrical equipment and wiring. Manufacturers who are willing to use fraudulent trademarks are also likely to cut corners on other product quality standards, which could lead to consumer safety threats such as electrical shock, burning, or fire.
“Handheld hair dryers are one of the most commonly and frequently used appliances in our homes, so consumers should be absolutely certain of the product’s quality and reliability. Don’t gamble with your family’s health and safety just to save a buck; buy an authentic hair dryer from a reputable and authorized vendor,” said Mark Laria, CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Norfolk-Newport News, Va.
The international trade in counterfeit consumer goods is illegal. It steals revenues from trademark holders, steals tax revenues from the government, funds transnational criminal organizations, and the unregulated products potentially threaten the health and safety of American consumers. Counterfeit consumer goods may also be sourced or manufactured in facilities that employ forced labor.
CBP protects businesses and consumers every day through an aggressive Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) enforcement program. During fiscal year 2023, CBP made nearly 20,000 seizures with an estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price worth over $2.76 billion, had the goods been genuine.
Media can search for additional enforcement details by viewing CBP’s IPR webpage or by viewing CBP’s IPR Dashboard and CBP’s Annual IPR Seizures Reports.
U.S. trademark and copyright owners can register with CBP to have their intellectual property protected at the border through the through the e-Recordation program (https://iprr.cbp.gov/s/).
CBP encourages anyone with information about counterfeit merchandise illegally imported into the United States to submit an e-Allegation. The e-Allegation system provides a means for the public to anonymously report to CBP any suspected violations of trade laws or regulations related to the importation of goods in the U.S.
For more information about the consequences and dangers often associated with the purchase of counterfeit goods visit the Truth Behind Counterfeits public awareness campaign at CBP's Fake Goods Real Dangers website .
CBP's border security mission is led at our nation’s Ports of Entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the Office of Field Operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo and searches for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, invasive weeds and pests, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality.
See what CBP accomplished during "A Typical Day" in 2023. Learn more at www.CBP.gov.
Follow the Director of CBP’s Baltimore Field Office on Twitter at @DFOBaltimore for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos, and CBP’s Office of Field Operations on Instagram at @cbpfieldops.