Fake, unsafe Dyson hairdryers seized in UK

A shipment of 500 unsafe hairdryers – reported to be counterfeits of a model sold by premium consumer tech firm Dyson – has been seized at the Port of Felixstowe in the UK.

UK Border Force officers investigated the shipment after discovering discrepancies in the shipping information, including a different delivery address to what was on the cartons and documents that claimed the hairdryers were a different brand, according to an East Anglian Times report.

The suspect units were seized by Suffolk Trading Standards and sent away for testing, which revealed they posed a risk of electric shock and fire. During testing, one of the hairdryers overheated, did not cut off, and started to melt and smoke.

Genuine Dyson hairdryers cost around £300, a premium price that has attracted no end of copycats sold at a discount. Some are sold as "Dyson-inspired" products, while others are straight counterfeits. Many of the knock-offs are made in China, where four men were imprisoned in 2020 for their part in a large-scale counterfeiting ring.