RIYADH — Inspection teams from the Ministry of Commerce have seized more than 35,000 counterfeit smartphones and accessories at a facility in Riyadh. The inspection teams, in cooperation with the security authorities, raided the facility. They found counterfeit phones of unknown origin and accessories, including charging cables, earphones, and other items in the warehouses of the firm. They also detected labels used to fake the country of origin and labels of well-known brands. The facility was closed and those involved in the fraud were referred to the concerned authorities to take punitive measures against them. The counterfeiting case was also referred to the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property. According to the provisions of the Anti-Commercial Fraud Law, penalties for violators of the law may include imprisonment for three years, fines of up to SR1 million or both. Violators may also be subject to deportation of their workers, and public shaming of violators following enforceable court rulings. The Ministry of Commerce previously issued its quarterly consumer sector report for the first quarter of 2025, which included an overview of inspection tours across the Kingdom in general, and particularly in the Makkah and Madinah regions during the Umrah and Hajj seasons, as well as consumer protection initiatives. The ministry conducted more than 132,000 inspection visits across various economic sectors and activities all over the Kingdom during the first quarter of 2025. Efforts to combat commercial fraud included more than 126,000 visits, and more than 6,500 inspection visits to combat cover up.
