Buying guide: Here's how you can spot fake products

If you have been keeping an eye on the news you'll know that Xiaomi just busted a racket of fake products in Chennai and Bengaluru. Over 3,000 fake products consisting of mobile back cases, headphones, power banks, chargers, and earphones were seized from shops in the two cities and seven people have been arrested. 

Interrogation revealed that these shopkeepers had been running this racket of fake products for a while and had sold multiple counterfeit products in the market already. 

This is not surprising in the least. Last year, Xiaomi cracked down on about 2,000 fake products from shops in Gaffar Market in Delhi. 

Also Read: Fake Xiaomi products worth more than ₹33 lakh seized in Bengaluru, Chennai

Understandably, while Xiaomi products are known to be budget buys and are not expensive, some buyers are always looking out for cheaper deals even if that means fake products. Some other times though, honest buyers are duped into buying fake products without realising it. 

As a guide to for buyers, Xiaomi has released an official statement with pointers about how to identify counterfeit Xiaomi products. You can follow these guidelines for other brands as well. 

1. Some products like carry security codes that can be checked on mi.com to identify the authenticity of the product- eg. Mi Powerbanks, all audio products. If you are buying a product from a store that's not an authorised Xiaomi dealer, make sure you check these security codes online. 

2. Packaging and quality of original retail boxes are very different from the fake ones. You can visit any Mi Home/ Mi Store to validate the original packaging. If the product you have turns out to be fake - return the product and report the seller. 

3. Check for the original Mi India Logo on the product and you will know if that is authorised. Original logo of packaging can be seen on mi.com. 

4. All authorised fitness products such as Mi Band(s) will have Mi Fit app compatibility. If you buy a wearable that cannot be detected or registered on the Mi apps, they are probably fake. 

5. Unauthorised cables are often flimsy and break easily. Check for quality features like these before you make a purchase. 

“Counterfeited products not only degrade customer experience but are also a big threat to consumer health and safety, can also jeopardise privacy and data security and in some cases can also be hazardous,” Xiaomi explained.  

Since such incidents have only increased in the country over time, Xiaomi has created a special task force in India that is responsible for constantly monitoring the market and acting against such unauthorised entities and counterfeiters.