Melville, New York-based Canon U.S.A. announces that it is collaborating with the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) to promote awareness around the safety risks of using counterfeit power accessories, such as batteries, chargers, and external flashes. The production and sale of counterfeit products is an issue that not only affects the consumer electronics industry, but can affect consumer safety as well. The launch of the collaboration coincided with national Crime Prevention Month in October and will continue through 2017.

Together with Canon U.S.A., NCPC will use its resources to provide educational tools to crime prevention practitioners, law enforcement officials, and educators who, in turn, can use those resources to teach their communities about the dangers of purchasing counterfeits. The awareness campaign will also include digital messaging directed to consumers and public service announcements as well as other videos featuring McGruff the Crime Dog.

Counterfeit items are illegal replicas of real products, designed to deceive and take advantage of the superior value of genuine merchandise. They are produced in a manner that is increasingly more difficult for average consumers to identify, which is why awareness and education efforts are so important. Furthermore, counterfeit power accessories can lead to potentially dangerous results. They typically do not contain important safety technologies and are not tested to meet industry safety standards. As a result, they may overheat, smoke, melt, ignite, or create power surges and electrical irregularities that may cause personal injury or property damage.