2.5% of Total World Trade Involves Counterfeited Goods (.PDF Download)

Trading fake goods is bad for any industry, but it’s particularly dangerous in the industrial electronics sector, where counterfeit components pose threats like short circuits, electrical shocks, fires, explosions and equipment failures.

“Counterfeiters work hard to mimic not only the product packaging but the actual product as well. Distinguishing fakes from real parts becomes very hard for consumers when making a purchase,” Broadline Components explains. “The problem, however, arises during the production process as the counterfeit parts don’t meet the performance expectations.”