Peddlers sell fake mobile phones openly following Juma prayers

Fake mobile phones were sold openly on the streets of the capital following Juma prayers yesterday.
Following Friday prayers at a mosque in Malaz, the worshippers thronged to see a young Chinese man selling a counterfeit copy of a popular smart phone for SR 300.
The vendor claimed that they were original phones from the manufacturers. He told his customers that it has all the features of the same model sold in the reputable stores.
On checking the product, Arab News found that they were made in China and differ from the original phone by its appearance, weight and functions. However, some of the worshippers bought the products because of its attractive price, compared to the local market price.
The original model of the identical phone is sold locally for around SR 2,000 in retail stores.
An eyewitness to the sale outside the mosque told Arab News that such phones do not last long and the quality of the battery is weak.
“Its radiation level is very high and they were not safety tested for human use,” he added.
One observer said he bought such a counterfeit phone for SR 300 and he could not subscribe the counterfeit machine to the mobile operator since it was not a registered phone.
An Indian who bought the fake phone said yesterday that he would not get such a phone for SR 300 and he would use it for a maximum period and would throw it off later. "It has a value for the money,” he stressed.
According to Dr. Nasser Bin Ibrahim Al-Tuwaim, president of the Consumer Protection Association (CPA), commercial fraud cost the government and society a massive SR 40 billion in 2010.
Recently , the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah called for sterner measures against commercial fraud. The ministry of commerce also made awareness advertisements warning customers about counterfeit goods and other illegal practices with the aim of protecting the interests of customers. The ministry made it clear that it was the duty of the ministry to protect consumers from misleading advertisements issued by traders and commercial centers.
A study conducted by the Anti Piracy Alliance (AAA) said for many years piracy rates have been higher in Saudi Arabia than in any other country in the Gulf in the motion-picture industry.
The organization added piracy had resulted in huge losses for the Saudi economy, indicating that the reduction of piracy rates could have potentially yielded up to $1 billion in gross domestic product (GDP) in the past two years. This is a huge incentive for the Saudi government to step up efforts to tackle piracy, the study said.
The Saudi government has stepped up its campaign against piracy by closely coordinating with anti-piracy groups the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and Dubai-based Arabian Anti-Piracy Alliance.
Mohammad Al-Dhabaan, BSA spokesman and representative in the Kingdom, said, “BSA has been working closely with the government in the crackdown on piracy. Since it does not have policing powers, it reports individuals or companies using or trading in pirated products to the Ministry of Culture and Information.”
He added the ministry’s copyright directorate dispatches inspectors to follow up reports and make arrests if necessary, adding both the BSA and the ministry would “continue over the coming months to maximize the impact of awareness programs.”