Avoiding Fake Gifts This Christmas – Why Authentication Matters More Than Ever

This time last year we talked about how to have a Christmas without fakes, particularly focusing on children’s toys. But more than ever, the problem of ensuring authenticity for gifts is a challenge for those working to tackle counterfeiting.

Here are some of the key takeaways to be aware of, to keep you and your loved ones safe from fake gifts this Christmas.

The digital festive fake ‘spike’

Banks, fraud bodies and enforcement agencies report steep rises in counterfeit goods and purchase scams in the UK around Christmas time. At this time of year, many shoppers are feeling the pressure to find bargains online, making them a target for criminals.

According to recent data from Experian and Cifas, up to 37% of Brits have experienced a scam in an online marketplace. And 34% of those involved fake or counterfeit products – with a significant number likely to have occurred in the run-up to Christmas. But social media is now an essential step in the shopping experience for many customers. It’s where they learn about new products or view promotions, meaning brands need to be more vigilant than ever.

Steps businesses can take to protect their reputation, profits and potential customers include:

  • Multi-layered customer and user verification measures
  • More steps for payments
  • Anti-counterfeit authentication measures that are much harder to replicate than QR codes or holograms

By building in such measures to supply, manufacture, distribution and purchase processes, brands can provide a critical line of defence for consumers.

Which Christmas gifts can be counterfeited?

The UK Government’s Trading Standards Office has reported that, alongside tobacco, clothing was top of the list for intellectual property crime in 2025. Other items that saw significant criminal activity included several popular present types, such as:

  • Perfume
  • Footwear
  • Jewellery and watches
  • Electrical goods
  • Toys

And to give or receive a fake gift isn’t just disappointing – it can prove dangerous, particularly for the most vulnerable people. Children or older relatives may be at real risk from faulty chargers or wiring, untested cosmetics and substandard toys. And while officers have seen some successes in seizing goods at point-of-sale or in storage, brands can do much more.

Building in robust security measures is now a necessity – which means looking beyond basic holograms or serial numbers. These traditional methods can be easily copied and may rely on specialist equipment to verify.

Whereas next generation authentication technology such as Q-ID Optical® is impossible to clone and easily authenticated with most smartphones. This means more security at every stage, from manufacture and transit to purchase, giftwrapping and placing under your tree.

Want to avoid a fake festive season?

Give customers a more confident Christmas at the checkout by investing in tough authentication measures. By putting cutting-edge tech in place and clearly communicating the benefits, you’ll help divert spend away from funding criminals. If you’ve any questions or you’d like to know more, please contact us today.