RCMP Watch

(Canadian Press) - Most people think of money and DVDs when they think of counterfeits. But hair irons?

RCMP in the Quebec City region announced Tuesday they have seized 4,500 of the counterfeit devices.

Cpl. Richard Faucher acknowledged hair-straightening irons aren’t the usual fakes seen by the federal force.

“But we have to keep in mind that everything can be counterfeit,” he said in a telephone interview. “Flat irons are one of them and the specific thing about it is that it could be dangerous for the public as well.

“The electrical connection inside, it’s kind of cheap so it could malfunction and it could cause a fire.”

Faucher said the RCMP had not had any reports of such incidents but the risk is enough to raise a concern.

The flat irons, which are used in hairdressing to straighten curly hair, were seized Jan. 15 in Charny, Que., after an investigation that started in March 2007.

The Texas-based Farouk Systems Group had complained that counterfeit flat irons were being sold under their brand after they examined a supposed Farouk iron that was returned by a dissatisfied customer.

The customer had bought the iron from an Internet site. Others also came forward saying their irons had conked out shortly after they started using them.

The RCMP investigation led them to a business in Charny, near Quebec City, where they found 3,500 counterfeit Farouk flat irons and 1,000 others under the brand of the British company GHD, which does not sell in Canada.

The Mounties also impounded clothes, purses and other fashion accessories falsely branded as Gucci and Chanel, about $19,000 in cash, a small amount of marijuana and nine iPods.

One man was arrested and has been given a summons to appear in court soon. Faucher said fines could range from $1,000 to a maximum of $25,000 per conviction.

The man arrested in Charny could face 4,500 charges on the hair irons alone - one for each device seized.

A spokesman for Farouk was not available for comment.

Faucher said people should think twice when they get a chance to buy a normally expensive item for an extraordinarily low price from an unknown dealer. He noted that the real flat irons go for about $200 each while the counterfeits were selling for $60.

“You may encounter some problems,” he said, noting the theft of intellectual property is a growing problem - and a priority of the RCMP.

“We’re going to redouble efforts in order to combat these thefts. It’s a serious crime and we’re asking the public to notify us if they have any information that can help us.”

He cited other products that have been seized before such as counterfeit batteries that could explode or circuit breakers that could burst into flames.

“We’re talking flat irons here but it could be medication, it could be pills and jeopardize the lives of people.”