Fake Vapes Exposed: Learn How to Spot Counterfeits Today!

Imagine purchasing a vape from a local high street store. At first glance, everything appears normal, but after a few days of charging and using the device, it begins to overheat alarmingly.

Unfortunately, the vape is counterfeit, part of a widespread issue of such products being sold illegally across the UK. Manufacturers of these fakes often omit essential safety circuits that prevent overheating, saving mere pennies at the risk of causing a fire.

Over the past three years, around 5 million illegal devices have been confiscated by various councils, data gathered by the legitimate vaping industry shows.

John Dunne, director of the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA), warns that these illegal vapes could harm users’ health as they bypass the rigorous testing that legal devices undergo.

“Although the packaging and the device might look similar to genuine products, these imitations often lack proper safety measures because the counterfeiters aim to produce as cheaply as possible,” he explains.

Local authority data provided to the UKVIA indicates that the street value of the confiscated vapes totals approximately £39 million over the last three years. These seizures have occurred in retail settings, but significant numbers have also been captured at major transport hubs such as Luton airport and Dover.

Other non-compliant e-cigarettes were found to have higher levels of nicotine than permitted, contained prohibited substances, or had tanks larger than the legal size for nicotine liquid.

Identifying Counterfeit Vapes

According to Dunne, purchasing a fake and potentially hazardous vape can be an easy error due to deceptively similar packaging to legitimate products.

A significant red flag is if the packaging lacks a UK distributor’s address. “That’s a definite indication of a counterfeit product because all legal vapes must have a UK representative’s address clearly stated on the packaging,” he points out.

Additional indicators include poor-quality packaging with blurry images or labels. Authentic packaging should display nicotine warnings and a complete list of ingredients. Be wary if the device name or labels are in a foreign language.

During a recent police operation, identical serial numbers were discovered on multiple boxes, which should uniquely identify each product.

Steps to Take

Examine the packaging for the aforementioned signs and steer clear of purchasing the device if any details seem suspicious.

If you encounter an unfamiliar brand, verify whether it is registered with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on their website.

You can also report suspicious retailers to the UKVIA.

If you inadvertently buy a counterfeit vape, document it with photographs and report the seller to your local Trading Standards office.