Fake Frozen toys seized in Rugeley trading standards crackdown
Dozens of fake Frozen dolls have been seized after a crackdown in Staffordshire.
Trading standards seized the toys, along with LOL doll merchandise, at a market stall in Rugeley and a shop in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
The counterfeit items were being sold for discounted prices – with the Disney princess toys, usually priced between £15 to £25, being sold for around £10.
The LOL Surprise balls and dolls were £3 each, with the genuine item costing between £11 and £15.
Tony Shore, trading standards manager at Staffordshire County Council, said: "The run-up to Christmas is always a busy time for us and a time when the counterfeiters are in full swing.
"We’re finding that fakes are increasingly hard to detect, and the counterfeit operations are increasingly sophisticated.
"This is simply the latest example of counterfeiters jumping on to the latest range of 'must-have' goods.
"Anyone who buys counterfeit goods like these, will find themselves with poor quality items that can be dangerous, and at the same time could be helping to fund criminal activity.
"When something is being sold at a knock-down price, people should be extremely wary. We always say that if something looks too good to be true, it probably is."
People can report the sale of counterfeit goods by calling Staffordshire Trading Standards on 01785 330356.