We have so many e mails from people who have bought fake NOKIA products that we decided to write a guide to show some signs to look for. Most people who have bought the fakes initially leave positive feedback. This is because most fakes look genuine to the untrained eye. Problems occur once fitted (they don't fit properly and let dirt into your phone) or the colour starts to wear off within 2 weeks of ordinary use. LCDs very often have pixels missing, or the screen will fade or not display intermittently.

We would like to give you some idea of what to look for when you first receive your new covers, keypads or LCD screens. The price that you pay will give you some idea of how well you should scrutinise your item. We all know the golden rule. If it's too good to be true, then it probably isn't!!

We have chosen one of the most copied NOKIA covers - the 6230i. But it will apply to most covers.

In all these photos, the GENUINE NOKIA cover is silver (on the left). The FAKE cover (black) came to us in full, "NOKIA" retail packaging, and was of course sold as GENUINE, for a bargain price of £2.99 & P&P. A bargain? I don't think so!

You will be able to feel the difference immediately if you have removed a GENUINE cover from your phone.The GENUINE cover is slightly heavier. Scratch the front cover with your finger nail. A GENUINE cover will show no mark, but the fake will probably scratch almost immediately, leaving a white mark. The rear covers have a subtle pearlised look, more so on the black. The fake covers are almost matt. The silver release button at the bottom is also a satin finish, whereas on most fakes it is highly gloss.

Most indicators can be found on the inside. The finish on the covers is crude. The retaining tabs on the black cover at the top, broke the first time we fitted this cover to a phone. If you apply a relatively strong tension to the tabs on a GENUINE cover, they will spring back. The FAKE tabs either stay bent, or break off! These tabs should hold your front cover securely to the phone! The same applies to the clips towards the lower end of the front cover. Again, the left clip broke on the FAKE as we fitted the phone. Compare the NOKIA logo imprinted on the inside, and the outside of your covers. Fakes normally have a slightly smaller lettering style. If it doesn't look IDENTICAL then it is probably fake! Also ALL GENUINE NOKIA 6230i rear covers have the recycleable logo to the right of the lense inside. Most fakes don't. Inside on the middle of the rear cover you will see an indent running down the length. At the top in small letters the GENUINE covers have - DMD 10333. The fakes will have a DMD number, but a different one. Our fake has DMD 11686. The release mechanism on the inside of the back cover will have DMD 10335 on the left side of the white plastic, & PC/ABS on the right. You will probably need a magnifying glass to see this! There is NOTHING on the fakes.

On the iside of the front cover there will be the number 005796, either at the top or along the very bottom edge. This is the same number, regardless of colour. Our fake had the number DVC 0439.

Also, the genuine covers have the corners missing on the top right & left of the interior white console, whereas the fake is pointed into the outer shell. As you look at the inside of the front cover, apart from a notch either side of the middle of the screen, the console has straight, clean edges. Our fake cover looks as if it has been cut with pinking scissors above & below these notches.

If you hold the front cover up to a light and look through the audio holes at the top, the mesh on the GENUINE covers is so fine that you can barely make it out. The mesh on the fakes is coarser and much easier to see.

On the rear cover, the most telling tale is the NOKIA logo to the left of the lens. The fake lettering is THINNER, especially noticeable in 1.3 megapixel lettering, and also the dots are wider apart & appear to be unevenly spread. 

The cover release button at the bottom should be slightly proud with a slightly bevelled edge finish. On the fake covers it is totally flat. On the inside of this cover, the release mechanism should be professionally finished and smooth. You should be able to pull it gently towards you without damage. The FAKE version snapped when I tried this, and although not clear in the photo, the black plastic rivets either side are rough and look just like lumps of melted plastic.

THE BIGGEST TEST IS THE LENS AND THE FINAL APPEARANCE ONCE FITTED. The LENS on this FAKE is like looking through a cods-eye. You can not identify anything! It is not a lens, but just a piece of plastic. Certainly not good enough for a 1.3 megapixel camera!! If you look through a GENUINE lens, the clarity is immediately recognisable. There should be no blurring whatsoever.

We were appalled at the fitting of this cover. You could still move the top front cover away from the rear. The sides had large gaps, and the phone was not protected.Take a good look at any retail packaging. The Nokia logo is easily copied, but the packet should also show a diagram on the back, the "CONNECTING PEOPLE" logo and the logo's as displayed on their site. Go to nokia.co.uk and familiarize yourself with their products and logos. 99% of NOKIA products on eBay are FAKE!!!

So, you realise that you have bought a fake. What can you do.

The LAW

European communities Act 1972

Controls the activities of traders who persist in a course of illegal conduct in a way which is detrimental to the interests of consumers

Trades Descriptions Act 1968

Prohibits the misdescription on the supply of goods and prohibits false claims for services.

Misrepresentation Act 1967

Gives consumers redress for misrepresentation of contracts

Sale of Goods Act 1979, Sale & Supply of Goods Act 1994 and Sale of Goods (Ammendment) Act 1995 

Details the rights of purchasers and the duties of sellers in the sale of goods.

Goods should correspond with any description applied to them. If the seller is in business he may have committed a criminal offence if he has given a FALSE DESCRIPTION to the goods, or displays a sign which states NO REFUNDS.

If you feel that any of the above could apply, you should report the matter to your local TRADING STANDARDS SERVICE before you return to the trader.

Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regs 2000 & Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) (Ammendment) Regs 2005

You can return any item bought using the internet, for a full refund, including your postage, within 7 working days after receipt.

You must take care of the goods, and reasonable care for their safe return. If they are inadaquately packaged or incorrectly addressed, or damaged in transit, or never arrive, the trader may have a claim against you.You may have to pay the return postage, unless the goods were faulty in the first place.

You are entitled to expect a refund within 30days.(These regs only apply within UK. They will apply, but with different terms, within the EU).

If the cover was sold as GENUINE, report them to eBay (who won't take any notice!), Nokia (who may take some notice if enough people complain) but most importantly, TRADING STANDARDS!
Contact Consumer Direct (08454 04 05 06 or consumerdirect.org

I hope that you have found this helpful. Let's all help each other by reporting rogue traders. You may want a cheaper cover for your phone, but the choice should be yours.

As shown on the recent BBC Watchdog programme, eBay is rife with FAKE articles. If we don't help ourselves, no-one else will while there is money to be made!!

Take a look at our other guide concerning fake Nokia products. The only people who haven't found it helpful are the traders selling fakes! Funny that!!!