Significant Surge in Complaints of Counterfeit Goods on E-Commerce Platforms
New Delhi: An alarming tally of over 17,500 grievances regarding counterfeit, fake, and duplicate items on e-commerce sites has been documented since 2022. The Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs reported that the majority of these complaints—specifically 7,221 cases—were lodged during the first half of 2025 alone. Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs B.L.
Verma disclosed that refunds amounting to ₹1,454 crore were issued to travelers for flights canceled during the pandemic.
In response to a query from Lok Sabha member Murari Lal Meena, Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs B.L. Verma remarked that calls to the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) have dramatically increased, escalating from 12,553 in December 2015 to an astounding 1,55,138 by December 2024. Concurrently, the average monthly complaints saw a remarkable rise from 37,062 in 2017 to 1,11,951 in 2024.
Additional Insights: The government is poised to implement new regulations aimed at counteracting fraudulent reviews on e-commerce platforms.
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) executed 22 search and seizure operations targeting e-commerce warehouses in various states, including Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Telangana, Odisha, and Maharashtra throughout 2024-25.
The state of Uttar Pradesh emerged as the epicenter, registering 2,335 complaints, trailed by Maharashtra with 1,832, Delhi with 1,451, Rajasthan with 1,267, and Karnataka logging 1,192. In stark contrast, Ladakh recorded merely a single complaint, bringing the cumulative number of cases to 17,562.
Verma accentuated the integral function of the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) in combating unfair trade practices, specifically noting that ₹1,454 crore was refunded by travel companies to consumers for canceled flights during the lockdown.
Additionally, Verma noted that a total of 13,118 listings for car seat belt alarm stopper clips were eradicated from leading e-commerce platforms on the CCPA’s directive, as their sale endangered consumer safety by disabling seat belt alarms, contravening the Consumer Protection Act of 2019.
Source link: Hindustantimes.com.
