Deputy Director of Operation Department, the Market Surveillance Directorate Nguyen Duc Le attends the virtual seminar. Photo: Q.H

Consumers unwittingly abet trading of counterfeit goods

According to Mr. Nguyen Duc Le, due to the pandemic and the implementation of social distancing, e-commerce has grown. Online trading helps sellers and buyers reduce direct contact and create advantages, thereby promoting the development of the digital economy.

However, the disadvantage of this activity is that organizations and individuals takes advantage of e-commerce to gain illicit profits by trading in counterfeit goods, goods infringing intellectual property rights and goods of unknown origin.

The market surveillance force has paid attention to controlling e-commerce businesses.

The Market Surveillance Directorate has established special working groups in charge of e-commerce.

Initially, the market surveillance force has grasped the methods of organizations and individuals taking advantage of social networks and e-commerce to gain illicit profits.

In addition to strengthening inspection and control in the e-commerce environment, the market surveillance agency has publicized information to help people and consumers have appropriate awareness of this sector.

"80% of consumers when buying goods know that they are fake goods or goods of unknown origin," said Mr. Nguyen Duc Le.

According to Mr. Nguyen Duc Le, products with famous brands such as LV, Chanel cost from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of dong. However, consumers buy those products on social networks or on e-commerce platforms for several hundred thousand dong. Thus, those products are not genuine products but because of the beauty needs consumers still accept them.

Therefore, consumers have unknowingly abetted business organizations and individuals. This infringes upon the legitimate rights and interests of genuine providers.

Coordination needed

Mr. Nguyen Duc Le said, for medical equipment and pharmaceuticals serving anti-Covid-19 pandemic work, in the face of the pandemic, people want to buy medical equipment and special medicines. When the pandemic became complicated, oxygen ventilators, masks, gloves and disinfectants became scarce.

Since early 2020, as consumers rushed to buy goods at Hapulico drug market, the market surveillance agency had to manage in order for all people to buy goods at a reasonable price.

Organizations and individuals have taken advantage of the psychology of the crowd, taken advantage of the anxiety of consumers to offer low-quality products, illegally imported products that have not been licensed by the medical agency.

The Market Surveillance Agency has detected and handled cases of bringing drugs and masks from abroad for domestic consumption without inspection and licensing for circulation in Vietnam.

Also according to Mr. Nguyen Duc Le, organizations and individuals has been taking advantage of e-commerce to trade in fake goods, goods of unknown origin, and poor quality goods. This requires the intervention of the whole political system.