Identifying Counterfeits of Mobile Devices By: Pirvette Lee Department: Mechanical Engineering Technology Background Counterfeit tech carries significantly higher consequences than a fake Rolex or a hastily copied handbag. Hapless individuals and business owners can find themselves stuck with tens of thousands of dollars of useless fakes pawned off as the real thing. A phony app can masquerading as the real deal and can infect your business’s devices with malware, opening the door for even more damage. And at the very worst, counterfeit products have been implicated in serious injuries and even deaths, such as when poorly made fake power adapters electrocuted several iPhone users. Findings Checking the colors, features, and size of the handset you wish to buy can help eliminate the chances of purchasing a fake. phone comes in a color that was not produced by the manufacturer or has not yet been released, this is a good indicator of a dubious product. The weight of a fake handset also tends to be lighter than the genuine article. Take a close look at the phone to check its features and dimensions. Counterfeit phones may have missing or additional features, or come bigger or smaller than an authentic device. Consider the software and battery used and compare it to real product will feed you give insight on products real attributes Reasons It easy to sell Easy access- Counterfeit availability and pirated products motivate consumers to buy them. Due to more counterfeits being produced Low Price - various locations market their product at a lower price to enticing consumers to buy their product Overview The global black market for mobile phones - including sub-standard and counterfeit or fake handsets has grown rapidly over the past few years with the total size of this market estimated to be in excess of 200 Million devices in 2010. Counterfeit or fake phones are copies of popular brands and models made from sub-standard materials. They are usually not tested and certified for safety and are often made from sub-standard components by parties that are not the genuine brand owners. Discussion Despite the amount of legal actions taken and bans imposed on counterfeiting trade, it continues to grow rapidly worldwide. Based on the accessibility to counterfeiting goods, the efforts to restrict selling of these goods are minimal at best. The low pricing of Counterfeit phones allow has an effect on young consumers attitude Conclusion Counterfeit technology will remain marketable due to the increase demand for new technology. The findings are only used to give an idea of how to spot a Counterfeit phone. By continuing to place legal restrictions on counterfeits sellers and ensuring customers have knowledge about we can slowly disable illegal branding In the picture above you can see two different blackberry’s being sold. The left one however is the genuine product . References http://www.pcworld.com/article/2049105/the-unreal- deal-how-to-id-phony-phones-counterfeit-cpus-and- other-tech-traps.htm http://www.spotafakephone.com/consumer- impact.cfml http://www.cck.go.ke/counterfeit-campaign/ http://archive.nbuv.gov.ua/portal/Soc_gum/APE/2012 _4/APE-04-2012/406-414.pdf Here you can see a comparison between a Genuine IPhone product and a counterfeit Product that resembles the IPhone.