| The bands are believed to be illegal copies of charity wristbands, recently made popular by football stars such as Thierry Henry, pop stars such as Damon Albarn of Gorillaz, and even the Prime Minister.
The bands were seized by officers after they were found to be carrying a counterfeit of the Livestrong logo, an official trademark of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a cancer charity.
The bands should be sold for between 70p and £1 with all the proceeds going to charity. Officers found them being sold in outlets in Angus for as much as £3.99, with no evidence of any of the money reaching the designated charity.
Councillor Joy Mowatt, convener of environmental and consumer protection, said, “Fake charity wristbands are amongst the lowest form of all counterfeits and will not be tolerated in Angus.
“To deceive people into buying something which they believe is supporting a good cause is callous and devious.
“It is most likely none of the money made from these counterfeit bands would ever make it to any charity and instead would be used to support further illegal activity.”
Residents are urged to always check the marking on charity wristbands for the official logos and purchase them from known reputable suppliers, such as some high street charity shops or from the LAF website at www.laf.org
Any resident who is offered or knows of anyone trading in counterfeit charity wristbands is asked to contact trading standards on 01241 435600. |
