English – The Conversation | From fake medicines to watches, counterfeits are everywhere and getting harder to catch by Gediminas Lipnickas, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Adelaide University AI generated summary, Read the full article for complete information. The article warns that a massive, rapidly expanding global market for counterfeit goods—from fake medicines, cosmetics and sunscreen to luxury watches, clothing and electronics—poses serious health and safety risks and is becoming harder to detect, especially as online shopping platforms and second‑hand marketplaces lower barriers for fraudsters. While some buyers are unwitting victims, others deliberately seek fakes because of high prices, limited supply, and artificial scarcity created by brands that restrict releases (e.g., Rolex and Supreme). The true scale of the trade likely exceeds the estimated US $467 billion in 2021, with counterfeit items accounting for about 2.3 % of global imports. The author suggests that improving product availability, abandoning restrictive distribution practices, and educating consumers about warning signs—such as unusually low prices, vague seller information, and poor‑quality images—can curb demand for fakes, while buying from official or authorised retailers is the safest way to avoid harmful counterfeit products. Read more: https://theconversation.com/from-fake-medicines-to-watches-counterfeits-are-everywhere-and-getting-harder-to-catch-281525 #Healthauthorities #onlinemarketplaces #luxurybrands #artificialscarcity