Infographics

You may not know it, but there could be fake food in your cupboard. At least 10% of food in supermarkets worldwide are thought to be adulterated. Fraudsters adulterate food to sell more for less. By eating adulterated food, not only are you getting less for your money, but your health may also be at risk. Not only is fake food made with lower quality ingredients, but materials found in fake food have also included chemicals used for anti-freeze and melamine, among others.

Endangered flora and fauna are irresponsibly traded all in the name of greed. Illegal wildlife trade is a global issue that must be stopped as it has tremendous consequences, namely the destruction of ecosystems, possible extinction of endangered species, and the decline in biodiversity, among other effects. The figures shown in this infographic are taken from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2016) which gives a good picture of global illegal wildlife trade. The global hotspots for wildlife seizures are those in the darkest shade of blue, and include countries in North America, Europe, and Asia. Different types of wildlife species are included in the list. The infographic shows woodlands in brown, land animals in orange, marine life in blue, and birds in green.

Pesticides are necessary for each nation’s food security. The pesticide sector in the EU has been dealing with a counterfeit pesticide issue. A study by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has unveiled the massive and far reaching economic consequences of IPR infringement in the pesticide sector in the European Union (EU). Governments, private companies, and employees are all affected. Counterfeit pesticides have a tremendous effect on the pesticide industry in the EU. Billions of euros are lost annually by the industry. Governments also lost hundreds of millions of euros as an effect. And tens of thousands of jobs are also lost.

The use of counterfeit pharmaceuticals and fake medicine can have negative effects on one’s health, and may even lead to death. IPR infringement in the Pharmaceutical industry in the EU also has massive economic consequences, a study by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has revealed. Counterfeit pharmaceuticals can affect the health of consumers, but governments, businesses, and employees are not spared of the negative effects. Governments lost billions of euros and businesses lost tens of billions of euros in revenue annually. More than 90 thousand jobs are lost every year.

Global cybercrime cost is already at $3 trillion annually as of 2015, and is expected to exceed $6 trillion by 2021. On top of that, cybersecurity defense costs are estimated to exceed $1 trillion from 2017 to 2021. Data damage and destruction, stolen money, loss of productivity, intellectual property theft, personal or financial data theft, fraud, embezzlement, business disruption after the attack, investigation, restoration and deletion of hacked data and systems are some of the forms of global cybercrime.

Counterfeit watches have been increasing in quantity and quality. This makes it difficult for collectors to discern which watches are authentic. Mistakenly buying a fake watch can be costly. Learn how to spot a fake luxury watch. How to spot a fake luxury watch? First and foremost, you have to do research. You have to be knowledgeable about attributes of authentic watches. Then you can check to see if five factors check out: material, weight, type face and engravings, movement, and sound.

Consumers aspire to have luxury products. People save months just to be able to buy the latest designer bags. Unfortunately, some people sell fake versions of these products. And the products are becoming more and more convincing. To avoid wasting your hard-earned money, consumer knowledge is key. Learn how to spot fake luxury products. How to spot fake luxury products? You must check the price, retailer, quality, text, packaging, buttons, stitching, and shape of the product.

Top 10 Countries with Highest Estimated Black Market Value in 2017 have a combined black market value of $1.6 trillion. This is more than the economies of some developed countries. The black market value of a country is composed of smuggling, counterfeiting, trafficking, piracy, and other similar activities. The list of top 10 Countries with Highest Estimated Black Market Value in 2017 also contains nine out of 10 of the top economies in the world. This goes to show that illicit trade is a problem that affects the whole world, from 3rd world nations to developed countries.

Food fraud is a big problem in the UK. One in ten of the food in supermarket shelves have been found to be adulterated. The problem that costs the food and beverage industry in the UK £11.5 billion a year, and the loyalty and confidence of consumers for the future. Food fraud also affects consumers. Adulterated food may be hazardous to one’s health. The problem highlights the greater need for food traceability and consumer awareness.

Fake alcohol can have negative effects on businesses, their employees, and the economy. And worse, consuming fake alcohol can be hazardous to your health. Avoid drinking fake alcohol at all costs, learn to recognize fake alcohol. To recognize fake alcohol, keep in mind the four P’s: Place, Price, Packaging and Product. Place – Reputable sellers would not offer fake alcohol. Price – If the deal is too good, start to have doubts. It may be fake alcohol. Packaging – Check the quality of the labeling and sealing. Check for duty stamps and for authentic bar codes. Product – Be wary of unusual brand names. Check the appearance and smell of the liquid.

The illicit trade of tobacco is both supply and demand driven. Illegal cigarettes are priced much cheaper than legal cigarettes, and do not undergo stringent regulation in the form of health warnings, product checks, or age verification. A report published by KPMG shows that in 2015, 53 billion illegal cigarettes were consumed in the European Union (EU); which represents 9.8% of all cigarettes consumed. Accounting for 1 in every 10 cigarettes consumed, this criminal activity costs EU governments up to EUR 11.3 billion in lost tax revenues.

Fake alcohol is a big problem because of the risks it poses to people’s health. Properly produced and certified alcoholic drinks are made with ethanol – alcohol that’s safe to drink in moderation. But fake alcoholic drinks can be produced using other cheaper types of alcohol which can have serious adverse effects on your health. The sale of illegal alcohol costs the UK around £1.2 billion per year. Much of the fake or illegally produced alcohol contains potentially dangerous chemicals: cleaning fluids, nail polish remover, automobile screen wash, methanol, isopropanol (used in antifreeze), and some fuels.

According to the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), consumers in the U.K. spend an estimated 90 million pounds (approx. $140 million) on fake products. Laboratory tests have shown counterfeit perfume often contains poisonous chemicals including cyanide and even human urine. While fake cosmetics such as eyeliner, mascara, lip gloss and foundation have been found to contain toxic levels of chemicals and harmful substances such as; arsenic, mercury and lead. All of these can cause allergic reactions, such as skin irritation, swelling, rashes and burns as well as leaving the consumer with longer term health problems. Fake electrical beauty goods, such as hair curlers, dryers and straighteners are not subject to the same vigorous safety tests as genuine items and so the bogus product is often very dangerous.

The OECD and EU’s Intellectual Property Office produced a report that analysed nearly half a million customs seizures around the world over 2011-13 to produce an estimate of the scale of counterfeit trade. The most illegally replicated items are shoes, knitted clothing, leather goods, electrical machinery and equipment, watches, medical instruments, non-knitted clothing, perfumes and cosmetics, toys, pharmaceuticals, jewelry. SMEs across industries and countries are victims of counterfeit, and many do not have the resources to fight against it.

The drug trade is moving from the street to online crypto-markets. Online drug markets and sales are part of the “dark web”; these are sites that are only accessible through browsers where there are several layers of encryption, which makes it almost impossible for law enforcement to track. The infographic shows an overview value of online sales of illegal drugs, prescription drugs, and non-drugs.

This infographic shows the scope of the problem of fake medicine. The counterfeit pharmaceutical industry could be worth as much as $200 billion annually. The health concern is major. Interpol estimates that 10% to 30% of all pharmaceutical drugs in circulation in the world are counterfeit and that up to 1 million people will die annually from counterfeit pharmaceuticals. Counterfeit medicine may be contaminated, contain adulterated or no active ingredient.

The Federal Trade Commission estimates the market for fake car parts at approximately $12 billion a year. Counterfeit auto parts typically aren’t built to your car’s specifications; this can lead to mechanical problems and system breakdowns. Common counterfeit car parts includes grills, radiators, alloy rims, tail lights, filters, cables, air bags, master cylinders and brake pads. Worse yet, fake car parts can cause major safety problems.

Counterfeiting is a big business. How big is counterfeiting? In a 2013 study, it was estimated that international trade in counterfeit and pirated goods were worth US$ 461 billion. In 2014, US homeland security seized more than 23,000 counterfeit goods, and the World Customs Organization (WCO) recorded more than 8,500 seizures. Globally, the value was predicted to reach US$ 1.77 trillion in 2015. Counterfeit goods span across multiple industries, the infographic presents the scope of illicit trade.

Terrorists are increasingly turning to counterfeiting as a source of revenue as it is high profit and low risk. Many different illicit products have been used to fund terrorism. For example, the Islamic State has been linked to illicit mobile phones. Other industries such as drugs and pharma, oil, food, forgery, clothes and apparel, and cigarettes have also been found to be involved in illicit products used to fund terrorism. The infographic presents the counterfeit industries that help fund violent criminal and terrorist organisations.

In the food industry, not everything is as it seems. What seems to be safe foods could be counterfeit. We are generally trusting eaters; we believe what the menu says and we believe what is given to us is authentic. But labels can lie and packaging can be misleading. Food fraud not only robs you of the value that you have paid for, it could also be hazardous to your health. From the common everyday ingredients and condiments like milk and black pepper, to exotic and exquisite food like scallops and saffron, many foods are counterfeited. This infographic presents you the 15 most counterfeit foods to look out for.

It's not just tigers, rhinos and elephants; illegal wildlife trade threatens some of the world’s best-loved species. One of the threatened species has been seized more than 200,000 times. Another’s populations have declined to 3,000 due to illegal wildlife trade. And 80% of one of the four threatened species were at risk of global extinction in 2011. This infographic shows how wildlife trade jeopardizes four more wild threatened species: Pangolins, Parrots, Freshwater Turtles, and Bluefin Tunas.

Despite a ban on international trade in ivory, 30,000 African elephants are being killed every year for their ivory tusks. That is the equivalent of one elephant every 15 minutes, at this rate the elephants will be extinct in 10 years. 70% of the elephants are traded to China. This infographic shows how China’s increasing demand is continuously driving up the ivory market, causing the price to triple.

Illicit financial flows are illegal movements of money or capital from one country to another. Global Financial Integrity’s December 2015 report found that developing and emerging economies had lost US$7.8 trillion in illicit financial flows over the ten-year period of 2004-2013, this equates to a 134% increase over the ten-year period. A 101% increase is forecasted for the next seven years. The infographic illustrates the figures.

Illicit trade is a major and growing problem worldwide. News on illicit trade is abundant on the web, yet there is clearly a lack of solutions that are being proposed or implemented to solve the US$ 1.3 trillion economy. 77.9% of the illicit trade news on Twitter, only contain information such as reports of seizures, and the like. This infographic is a summary of collected data showing the proportions of news and solutions.