The Pembrokeshire Show takes place from 9am to 7pm on Tuesday 18 to Thursday 20 August at the County Showground, Withybush, Haverfordwest. A HMRC trailer will be located at B377, near to the showground’s B entrance.
Show visitors will be able to check out the latest counterfeit designer goods at the HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) stand – and find out why parents and their children should be wary of buying fake items in an industry that costs the UK economy £9bn a year.
Among the exhibits are imported counterfeit games consoles found to have been supplied with potentially dangerous power adaptors. Aimed at the younger market, they had been sold for around £40 and proved to be anything but a bargain.
HMRC’s exhibition stand will also feature counterfeit clothing, accessories, DVDs and vehicle parts. All of these items pose a potential threat to local businesses selling the genuine article, and also put consumers at risk of receiving poor quality and potentially unsafe goods.
Other topics on display include the work of HMRC’s Road Fuel Testing Units, which target motorists illegally using rebated fuels. Officers will also be on hand to help with queries about tax credits, child benefit, income tax and self assessment.
Clare McCulloch, exhibitions officer for HMRC, said: "Visitors to our stand at the Pembrokeshire Show will have a perfect opportunity to obtain information about the variety of HMRC’s work, from benefits and credits to fuel fraud. Our counterfeit exhibits make it clear that buying cheap, fake goods not only lines the pockets of criminals, but also means these goods are second rate, unregulated and often dangerous items. Visitors are interested, and often surprised, to find out the true scope of our work.”
