October 2007 News
Counterfeit condoms alert
Hackney Council and Durex are warning people in Hackney and neighbouring boroughs to check packs of Durex before they use them. The advice is being issued following a series of seizures of counterfeit condoms by Hackney Council’s Trading Standards team.
The fakes, discovered in corner shops and newsagents in Hackney, are unlikely to provide proper protection against pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases.
A full investigation was launched when a member of the public, noticing the condoms he had bought were ‘not quite right’ reported the incident.
Seven different types of fake three-packs have been identified:
The brands and serial numbers are as follows:
- Durex Extra Safe – serial numbers 20604354
- Arouser – 20906043
- Ribbed - 20905271/ 20904142/ 2991118
- Performa - TGL 4142
- Gossamer – 21405074
- Select - P4379
- Fetherlite - 21405074
Fiona Fletcher-Smith, Corporate Director for Neighbourhoods and Regeneration at Hackney Council said: “These fake boxes of Durex appear to be pretty good copies, in that the packaging is quite similar to the real product. The member of the public who reported this should be congratulated for alerting us to this scam.
“Anyone who has bought these brands, especially from independent shops and supermarkets should carefully check the products. Obviously this discovery is very important, as counterfeit condoms do not protect against sexually transmitted diseases properly, and nor are they an effective contraceptive.”
Martyn Ward, Managing Director of Durex said: “Durex is the world’s leading condom brand with a reputation for trust, reliability and safety. We are completely committed to quality and maintaining the health and safety of our customers.
“As an international company with a high quality brand, Durex, like many other global businesses, is targeted by counterfeiters. We take incidents like this very seriously indeed and adopt a proactive and robust approach towards combating counterfeiters anywhere in the world. We are currently investigating these issues further.
“Durex stresses that there are small numbers of counterfeit condoms on the market and you are unlikely to be affected. As a precaution, the brand is urging users to check batch numbers on the packaging of affected varieties.
“If any of the above codes appear on packaging, it is highly likely that these are not genuine Durex condoms and we advise consumers not to use them, as we cannot be sure of their safety.”
Consumers with any queries are being advised to contact the Durex Careline on 0800 338 739 or Hackney Trading Standards on 020 8356 4929.
Page updated: 16 Oct 2007