Understand the category before making the claim

Illegal is not one simple label.

Unsafe, recalled, non-compliant, counterfeit, prohibited, age-restricted and untaxed products can involve different facts, laws and reporting routes. Start by recording what can actually be seen.

Start with the facts Get Whistle Unsafe Products ↗

Understand

Name the concern accurately

A product can be unsafe without being counterfeit, non-compliant without creating an immediate hazard, or restricted for reasons unrelated to product safety. Clear reporting begins by keeping those questions separate.

Safety

Failure, injury, fire, electric shock, choking, chemical exposure or another hazard.

Compliance

Missing or questionable warnings, instructions, traceability details or category-specific markings.

Legality

A suspected counterfeit, prohibited item, age-restricted sale or possible duty evasion.

Check

Four facts to establish first

Use these prompts to build a reliable account. Do not take risks, recreate a failure, dismantle a suspect product or expose private payment information just to collect evidence.

Product category

The rules differ for consumer goods, food, medicines, vehicles and workplace products.

Exact identity

Record the brand, model, barcode, batch, serial number and any recall reference.

Supply chain

Capture the seller, marketplace, manufacturer or importer details exactly as displayed.

Observed concern

Describe what happened or appears missing. Avoid deciding the legal conclusion yourself.

Act

Report facts, not a verdict

Use the shared FOLO-UP form to submit the concern and follow its current prompts. Include the most relevant product, seller and incident evidence wherever the form allows, without taking additional risks to obtain it.

Important: A FOLO-UP report or Whistle flag is a listing signal submitted for evidence capture and controlled human review. It is not confirmation that a product or seller is unsafe, illegal, counterfeit, non-compliant or recalled.

FOLO-UP does not replace emergency or official reporting.

Immediate danger, fire or serious injury: move to safety and call 999.
Product-safety or suspected illegal-product concern: use the appropriate official route as well as FOLO-UP.
Scam or money lost: contact the bank or card provider immediately, then Report Fraud in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, or Police Scotland.
Ordinary fault, refund or cancellation: contact the seller or marketplace and use a consumer-rights route.

Open the FOLO-UP report form ↗

FOLO-UP public-safety tools

See the signal. Check the record. Report the concern.

Sources

Check the primary source.

Official sources distinguish consumer safety, recalls and reporting routes. No recall result is proof of safety.

Source list and page content last reviewed 22 September 2026.