PROFESSIONAL counterfeit hunters are playing a bigger role in the campaign against fake and unsafe products, according to Shanghai No.2 Intermediate People’s Court.

It said that of the consumer disputes it had accepted and concluded from 2014 to 2016, more than 30 percent were filed by counterfeit hunters, who search for fake or substandard goods in shops. Sometimes these hunters engage in malicious actions, the court revealed.

A main reason for the rise in cases brought by professional counterfeit hunters, the court said, is the high returns, which encourage more people to hunt for fake or shoddy products.

The amended food and drug safety law set a minimum compensation of 1,000 yuan (US$146) for products found to be fake or unsafe.

“Sometimes, good-meaning regulations are misused,” said Tang Jiansheng, deputy secretary-general of Shanghai Consumer Rights Protection Commission.