Vape manufacturer Geek Bar has recently written to trading standards in major UK cities asking them to increase their efforts in identifying and removing fake and illicit vaping products from shelves.
Allen Young, Chief Executive of Geek Bar, said: “It’s easy to blame the manufacturer but the truth of the matter is that these products are finding their way into the UK through customs and being sold in retail outlets across the country. It’s a huge issue for our own reputation and the vape sector as a whole.
“Enough is enough, and there needs to be more collaboration and enforcement involving all parties including Trading Standards, the vaping industry, trade associations representing retailers and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency."
“We are also asking the community to come forward and report retailers who are selling products that they shouldn’t be by emailing us at legal@geekbar.com.”
Geek Bar has also been working closely with the Chinese government to identify factories that are creating and distributing fake products. This operation has resulted in the closure of 12 counterfeit production facilities and the seizure of over 100,000 fake products heading for the UK.
Why Is It Important to Vape Legit Products?
Illegal vape products do not have the same regulations that vape products require in the UK. When a new vaping device or e-liquid is sold in the UK it must be TPD registered and approved to ensure that what you are vaping is safe and contains legal and regulated ingredients.
If you use a product that is fake and hasn’t followed the proper TPD approval path, then you could be risking your health and potentially vaping e-liquid that is made of incorrect and unsafe ingredients.
Read our blog on TPD here to find out more about vaping laws and how they protect you.
How To Spot a Fake Geek Bar
Many different manufacturers have different ways of ensuring that the product you buy is registered and safe for you to use.
Our Vampire Vape X Geek Bar range have two easy ways to check that your product is safe to use and a legitimate device.
Geek Bar Holographic Sticker
On the side of your packaging, you will see a hologram sticker and a scratch & reveal. This sticker contains a hologram of the letter G. If your device is fake, this hologram might look blurred, low quality or might not even exist. Make sure you ensure that any Geek Bar you buy has the holographic G sticker before you buy.
Below the hologram, there will be a scratch and reveal sticker. You can enter this unique code into the Geek Bar product verification checker.
Visit the Geek Bar product verification checker.
If your Geek Bar is a genuine product you will receive a green tick and a verified code confirmation.
If, however, your product code does not match up with the Geek Bar database then your purchased Geek Bar is a counterfeit. You should not vape this and report it to Geek Bar or your retailer to raise awareness of harmful and illegal products in stores.
