Warning against counterfeit L.O.L Surprise! dolls in Lincolnshire

Fake versions of L.O.L Surprise! toys, described as the ‘must-have’ Christmas toy for 2018, have been discovered by Lincolnshire Trading Standards in the county.

Officers received reports of counterfeit goods being sold locally and goods were seized after confirmation they were found to be fakes.

Angela Kane, senior trading standards officer at Lincolnshire County Council, says: “As well as our large seizure, we’re hearing that consumers are being scammed on online marketplaces.

“They purchase what they think are genuine L.O.L Surprise! dolls with official pictures, albeit at a lower cost than at the high street.

“Unfortunately, when the items arrive, they are not official products. In fact, they are far from that – they have screws in the back of them which are dangerous to small children, are of poor quality, faulty and fail to perform like genuine dolls such as changing colour or squirting!”

Earlier this year, the European Commission sent out a safety alert about counterfeit L.O.L Surprise! dolls shipped from China to the Czech Republic.

The plastic dolls contained a chemical that “may harm the health of children, causing possible damage to the reproductive system”.

Angela added: “I’d urge shoppers to only buy toys from reputable retailers, particularly when shopping online.

“It’s always worth buying the genuine article as they have been though considerable amounts of safety testing – meaning they meet the correct safety standards.

“For me, you can’t put a price on your child’s life.”