Nearly 5,000 social media accounts in UAE closed for selling fake brands

Dubai - The number of followers for these social media accounts exceeded 33.5 million.

The Department of Economic Development (DED) has announced on Monday that 4,879 social media accounts were closed for selling counterfeit goods using fake brands names during the first half of 2018.
The number of followers for these social media accounts exceeded 33.5 million, the DED revealed in a statement.

Ebrahim Behzad, director of Intellectual Property Rights Protection Management at DED, said, "Social networking accounts have come in handy for dealers who trade in counterfeit goods nowadays. But the IPR team maintains tight vigil to prevent such misuse of modern technology and protect the reputation of Dubai as a competitive business hub."
He added that the team is working 24/7 hours to keep monitoring social websites for intellectual property protection.
Behzad also said that law firms and trademarks owners cooperated with them to close these accounts that sell counterfeit goods. 30 websites were also closed for the same accusations.

He urged consumers not to follow such accounts, as their goods might negatively affect their health and safety. He also urged them to report to DED by calling 600545555 or via DED social media account.

• UAE