Posted: 25 Oct 2024 04:36 EDT | Updated: October 25, 2024 04:46 EDT
Online scammers who are taking 100% of donations have been found to be selling thousands of pounds worth of fake poppies.
Pin badges and brooches were being sold with descriptions such as ‘Lest we forget’ and ‘Remembrance Day red poppy’.
One of the fake sites was ‘Memorial Day activities, military, memorials, veterans…’ They say they are selling ‘suitable’ to honor the lives and memories of fallen soldiers.
However, as a result of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s investigation, daily expressIt has been revealed that fraudsters are intercepting all donations for counterfeit Memorial Day products.
Sites like Hundreds of items are listed for sale at prices ranging from £3 to £5. ebayOne auction was tagged ‘Popular’.
One of the fake sites was ‘Memorial Day activities, military, memorials, veterans…’ They say they are selling ‘suitable’ to honor the lives and memories of fallen soldiers.
Pin badges and brooches were being sold with descriptions such as ‘Lest we forget’ and ‘Remembrance Day red poppy’.
<img decoding="async" id="i-50bdd3b3c7d3deeb" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/10/25/09/91274023-14001063-image-a-3_1729843835387.jpg" height="355" width="634" alt="Hundreds of items have been listed for sale on sites such as eBay, with prices ranging from £3 to £5, with one auction tagged ‘popular’.” class=”blkBorder img-share” style=”max-width:100%” loading=”lazy”/>
Hundreds of items have been listed for sale on sites such as eBay, with prices ranging from £3 to £5, with one auction tagged ‘popular’.
One of the fake sites was ‘Memorial Day activities, military, memorials, veterans…’ They say they are selling ‘suitable’ to honor the lives and memories of fallen soldiers.
Shadow Defense Secretary James Cartlidge described the scam as ‘disgusting’ and accused fraudsters of ‘exploiting’ Remembrance Day.
The investigation revealed Border Force seized £25,500 worth of counterfeit poppies last year.
In 2017, £150,000 worth of fake poppy merchandise was seized at a UK port, including 1,212 scarves, 5,400 badges and 1,200 key chains.
Tobias Ellwood, former member of parliament and captain of the Royal Green Jackets, called the fake poppy auction ‘sick and disturbing’.
He went on to call on eBay to investigate and terminate all auctions that profit from the Royal British Legion (RBL) brand.
When approached, one seller shipped from China to the UK and could not confirm whether the process had gone through to RBL. Meanwhile, other Chinese sellers did not respond to the claims made in the investigation.
RBL urges people to donate or visit legal poppy sellers who will take to the streets until November 11 on their website to honor fallen soldiers.
eBay also has a legitimate RBL page called The Royal British Legion eBay Shop.
RBL urges people to donate or visit legal poppy sellers who will take to the streets until November 11 on their website to pay tribute to fallen soldiers.
Every purchase made through RBL is donated to a charity to help. Member or former member of the military community, including the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and British Armed Forces.
An eBay spokesperson said: ‘Buyers who want to support the Royal British Legion on eBay must do so on our official store to ensure 100% of proceeds are donated to the charity.
‘eBay partners with the Royal British Legion as part of its Verified Rights Owner Program (VeRO). ‘This program provides intellectual property owners, such as the Royal British Legion, with an easy way to report and remove listings that infringe their rights.’
A spokesperson for the Intellectual Property Office said: “We can confirm that the Royal British Legion has registered a trademark for a variation of the poppy petal.” This means that you can take legal action against anyone you believe is infringing on your trademark.
‘We issue guidance for businesses and consumers if they believe counterfeit goods of any kind are being sold.
‘This includes guidance for e-commerce platforms and how you can report products you believe to be counterfeit being sold on these platforms.’
MailOnline has contacted the Royal British Legion for comment.
Why we wear poppies on Remembrance Day
Poppies are a common sight ahead of Remembrance Day (November 11), which commemorates the 1919 armistice between the Allies and Germany that ended World War I.
During the conflict, poppies were particularly common on the German-controlled Western Front, one of the main theaters of the war.
Poppies bloomed on land devastated by war and shelling, and soldiers sent them home as letters to their loved ones.
Poppies in the fields of Flanders, a major battle theater on the Western Front during World War I
Artificial poppies were first sold in England in 1921 to raise money for the Earl Haig Fund to support former soldiers and the families of those killed.
The flowers were supplied by Anna Guérin, a French humanitarian who manufactured flowers in France to raise money for war orphans.
Selling poppies was so popular that in 1922 the British Legion established a factory staffed by disabled former soldiers to produce its own, a tradition that continues to this day.
