Counterfeit toy investigations reported by Trading Standards rise

IPO report sets out findings from local authorities on counterfeit goods and wider IP crime threat.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has published its latest Trading Standards Survey report, setting out a picture of the IP crime issues local Trading Standards teams are investigating and observing on the frontline.

Dangerous counterfeit toys are now a more visible enforcement concern, with 67% of responding local authorities reporting investigations.

The annual survey covers April 2025 to March 2026 and received responses from 142 of 189 local authorities.

Responses provide valuable frontline insights from local Trading Standards teams about how counterfeit goods are reaching communities across the UK. In turn, this helps build a clearer picture of a criminal threat that operates locally, nationally and globally. These insights help inform wider enforcement action to disrupt the illegal trade in counterfeits, helping to protect consumers, local businesses and high streets.

Responses this year show that cigarettes and tobacco remain the most commonly investigated counterfeit goods, reported by 89% of responding local authorities, followed by clothing at 69% and toys at 67%.

This year’s report also underlines how counterfeit goods support a wider criminal economy. Sixty-four percent of responding local authorities observed links during investigations between counterfeiting and organised crime groups — around a third higher than last year. Trading Standards teams also continue to report links between people committing IP crimes and other forms of criminality including money laundering, people trafficking/modern slavery, and drug dealing.

Andy Cooke-Welling, the IPO’s Director of Enforcement, said: