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Health & Fitness

Connecticut Better Business Bureau Warns of Sochi Winter Games Merchandise

Merchandise scams often appear during major sporting events, celebrations, such as a royal wedding and after celebrity deaths. Victims risk getting worthless merchandise and credit card fraud.

Counterfeit Merchandise and Bogus Websites Use Deception and Fraud

Connecticut Better Business Bureau is warning consumers about the sale of counterfeit Winter Olympic Games merchandise and price gouging online.

Official Olympic merchandise is available through a number of sources, but counterfeit goods and outright scams are everywhere.  A recent search on eBay showed 5,693 items for “Sochi 2014.”   Many were authentic re-sales, but some were fraudulent. The most impressive item was the “Olympic Torch Sochi 2014. Yours for just $7,000!”  The risk is not only receiving substandard merchandise that is poorly made, but also abuse of credit card information.

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Consumers should familiarize themselves with Olympic logos, graphics and branding, and consider shopping directly with the official website of the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

Go to the official Olympic website (sochi2014.com). If it opens in French or Russian, click on the small “EN” on the left side to switch to English.  Click on the word “Shop” on the top left side of the home page.  If you’d like to check out a product found elsewhere or report counterfeit merchandise, hover over the little plus sign in the upper right corner and click on “Authentication.”

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You can purchase authentic Team USA merchandise at teamusa.org, and Team Canada items at Olympic.ca.

Merchandise scams often appear during major sporting events, celebrations, such as a royal wedding and after celebrity deaths.   If you are interested in buying collectibles, remember that they may not have any intrinsic or resale value.  Most “collectible” merchandise, including special edition plates and coins is manufactured in large quantities and rarely rises in value.  If you want to purchase a “limited edition” memento, check to see just how limited it is before making a decision.

Consumers should always purchase items with a credit card when shopping online.  If the seller turns out to be fraudulent, then the consumer can dispute the charge with the credit card company and may be eligible for reimbursement.

Finally, be cautious of phishing email scams.  Scammers don’t take a break just for the Olympics.  If you receive any unfamiliar or unsolicited email, don’t open attachments or click on any links. Doing so could put malware on your computer and compromise your personal and financial information.

-Submitted by Howard Schwartz, Executive Communications Director, Connecticut Better Business Bureau

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