KUALA LUMPUR: Buy at your own risk.

This is the warning of genuine mobile phone manufacturers, dealers and the authorities to those who buy cheaper imitation phones from unauthorised agents or the public.

"To be sure you get the genuine stuff, buy only from our authorised dealers.

This way, in the event of any malfunctioning device, they can be repaired or replaced with minimal or no cost, provided they are within the warranty period, they said.

Federation of Malaysia Consumers Associations (Fomca) secretary-general Muhammad Sha'ani Abdullah warned consumers against buying mobile phones from street pedlars, who could not guarantee quality and warranty.
Consumers must be wary when buying such valuable items, which may be stolen. They are not like 'kacang putih' which they can dispense with when faced with problems, said the manufacturers and dealers.

"Patronise only prominent and responsible dealers so that you can revert to them for rectification or claims," a dealer said.

They were responding to news reports yesterday that 12 people were caught for selling imitation branded mobile phones here.

The manufacturers and dealers said although the imitations were cheaper and came with attractive packages, "it is all a marketing gimmick to dupe gullible consumers in the fast-developing, global smartphone market".

They said brands like Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Alcatel, Sony Ericsson, LG, Sagem, Siemens and Apple were losing hundreds of millions of ringgit to syndicates cashing in on the multi-billion ringgit industry that offered imitation iPhones, iPods, iPads, laptops, palm-tops and the likes, as well as spare parts.

The imitations do not carry "original equipment manufacturer" stickers, warranty cards and sale guarantees.

They also warned of potential health hazards and radiation, as some poor-quality products such as cheap batteries could explode.

"There appears to be no control on the proliferation of these mobile phones, with the authorities losing millions annually in tax revenue, regulatory fees and research and development costs.

"You can find hundreds of dozens of kiosks in shopping malls and commercial buildings selling an assortment of second-hand and brand new mobile phones.

"Not many can tell the difference between the genuine ones and imitations," they said, urging the authorities to enforce the laws.

On Sunday, two senior citizens, believed to be masterminds of an imitation mobile phone syndicate, were nabbed with 10 others at two petrol stations along the Middle Ring Road 2.

The men, between the ages of 19 and 68, were detained by officers from the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry and the National Registration Department at 11.30am as they were peddling the items.

Imitation mobile phones of various models, including Nokia N8, N97, E72 and the newly-introduced Apple iPhone 4, and two vehicles worth RM111,000 were seized.