Hundreds of fake listings have been pulled from Instagram ahead of Black Friday in a crackdown against counterfeit products being sold on the social media site.
Following this, Brits have been urged to be vigilant and double check what they are purchasing online - in fears the items could be deadly, or fire hazards.
In a joint clampdown by Trading Standards and Meta, they have found hundreds of potentially bogus products have been listed on the social media site, report Hull Live.
The listings included imitation clothing and fashion accessories, jewellery, copyrighted photographs - as well as car parts and tobacco.
While the crackdown is still ongoing, it comes after a poll found over a quarter of UK shoppers are considering, or intending to buy, fake products for their friends of loved ones this year.
Almost two-in-five (37%) of buyers said that they wanted to purchase the same amount of presents as last Christmas - despite the cost of living crisis.
Trading Standards warned this could lure consumers into unknowingly purchasing cheaper but unsafe counterfeit products.
Among the most likely to be bought by consumers that may be seeking to buy them as fake, are electrical devices such as smartphones, tablets or laptops and accessories such as chargers and earphones, the poll found.
However, Trading Standards has warned Brits that they could be both poor quality and “incredibly dangerous” if they have not gone through the proper checks.
Previous research by the charity Electrical Safety First found that 98% of fake Apple chargers failed safety tests.
And recent Home Office data showed 10 UK house fires a day were caused by faulty appliances and leads.
Urging people not to buy counterfeit items this Christmas due to their dangers, Mike Andrews, national co-ordinator at the National Trading Standards eCrime team, said: “Removing counterfeit goods from Instagram means families will be safer this Christmas.
“Buying fakes can seem like a harmless way to get what you want for less, but counterfeiting is not a victimless crime.
“Aside from being poor quality, fake electrical goods can be a fire hazard, while copycat toys can be deadly to children as criminals don’t care about safety standards.”
Electrical Safety First chief executive Lesley Rudd added: “We urge people to be vigilant against counterfeit goods.
“It may seem like a bargain but the cost of buying fake electrical items could be that you or a loved one suffer an electric shock, or a fire starts in your home.”
The Mirror has contacted Meta for comment.
