Fake and counterfeit alcohol poses a serious risk to public health. Reports have indicated that people who have ingested fake alcohol have suffered effects that range from excessive vomiting and headaches to breathing difficulties, blindness, seizures and even death. This illegal trade is on the rise as the consequences of being caught making fake alcohol are far less than that of making and dealing in illegal drugs.
Some Important Facts:
- Even legally produced alcohol is being stolen by organised crime units, whilst being transported and being sold in the black market. This further decreases the profit margins of genuine alcohol manufacturers.
- Some well-known brands are being counterfeited.
- Counterfeit alcohol traders take advantage of the easy border entry across Africa and the world.
Pagemark Africa for Illicit Alcohol Trade:
- Manufacturers can implement reward and loyalty programmes. If consumers scan the 2D code on the alcohol bottle and provide pertinent information (i.e what store they bought the alcohol at), consumers could be rewarded with coupons or discounts on their next purchase. When fake codes are scanned, the geolocation of these codes can be identified for further enquiry by law enforcement.
- Using Pelta™ and our patented technology, the covert 2nd layer is encrypted and is uncopiable. Since counterfeiters are unable to copy the secure code, law enforcement may be able to identify the fake alcohol and confiscate it during raids – before it even reaches the consumer.
- When alcohol is stolen in transit, the unique serialised numbers of the stolen batch can be signalled on the system. When law enforcement scans the codes during searches or raids, they would immediately be able to establish that the alcohol found was part of a stolen batch.