Especially in today's economy, it's always tempting to buy brand-name items at bargain prices. But...beware! What you think is the real deal may, in fact, be an illegal counterfeit or a "diverted" product. This kind of fraud is very prevalent in the beauty products industry.

Counterfeiters replicate the bottles, packaging and scent of popular salon products. This kind of fraud can impact you every time you wash your hair with a supposedly "salon product" that you purchased elsewhere. Certain brands are authorized to be sold only through professional channels; if you buy them elsewhere, you are taking your chances on a potential counterfeit or illegally distributed product.

So what's the problem?
-    Products being sold through unauthorized channels could be several years old, fakes, stolen, or may even have been tampered with.
-    Lab tests of counterfeit products have found high levels of bacteria, substandard ingredients and other dangerous impurities that can cause---at best---staining; at worst they can cause serious health risks and allergic reactions.
-    There is no recourse for consumers who buy counterfeit products because the product guarantee is void.
-    The sale of counterfeits is illegal and proceeds have been known to benefit some really bad people...including terrorist organizations and drug-money launderers.
-    In many cases, counterfeiters do not charge sales tax (or charge the tax, but retain it). Also, many counterfeiters pay only a fraction of their true income tax liability, if they pay any at all. This shortage, of course, is made up by the rest of us.

How can you protect yourself from fraudulent products?
-    Always buy products from a reputable and known authorized retailer.
-    Know a product's real retail price, and if the price seems too good to be true (by, say, 40-50 percent) there's a strong likelihood that it's a fake.
-    Ensure that the seller guarantees the product's authenticity and has return policy.
-    Check the quality of the packaging-the outer cellophane seal (if applicable), caps, nozzles, shape, thickness, etc.
-    Check the printing on the packaging, the accuracy of the logos, copyright/legal/trademark information, product information, etc.

The bottom line: If you buy salon-only products through an unauthorized Web site, or at a drug/grocery/discount store, there is absolutely no guarantee that the product is real or that the contents are what the "real" manufacturers put into their packages.