How to spot counterfeit software

How to spot counterfeit software:
12/8/2011 6:00:00 AM By: Nestor E. Arellano

Online sites selling counterfeit products get as much as 53 million hits each year. Here's how not to become a victim when doing your Holiday online shopping. 

Did you know that genuine Microsoft software for North American sales is actually marked Made in Puerto Rico. It's the bogus products that are labelled Made in USA.

As online shopping shifts into full gear with the onsite of the Holiday Season, consumers need to guard against fraudsters and counterfeiters in the Internet. Surveys indicate that sites peddling pirated software and other counterfeit products generate more than 53 billion visits each year.

In this video titled Spotting counterfeit software, Chris Tortorice, corporate counsel for Microsoft Canada, provides a number of tips on how to recognize fake Microsoft software from the real thing.

Spotting counterfeit software

For more information on how to spot bogus Microsoft products and hardware such as the Xbox 360, go to the site How to tell. Also check out our story Web tool aims to choke payments to rogue sites selling bogus good.