Woman reaps S$20,000 profits selling counterfeit thermometers online, gets 3 weeks’ jail

Despite finding out from a distributor that the thermometers she was reselling may not be authentic, Lau Xiao Ling continued advertising them on various online platforms until the authorities raided her home.

Lau earned about S$20,000 in profits from selling these counterfeit thermometers and ear probes from 2019 to 2021.

The 34-year-old Singaporean was sentenced to three weeks’ jail on Tuesday (Oct 25). She pleaded guilty to selling goods with a falsely applied trademark under the Trade Marks Act, with another charge taken into consideration for sentencing.

The court heard that Lau ran accounts on e-retail platforms Shopee, Lazada, Carousell, Qoo10 and Supermom. She sold assorted items to customers to supplement her personal income.

In June 2019, she bought a Braun Thermoscan 7 Model IRT6520 thermometer from a Qoo10 seller for S$49.90 for her personal use.

Satisfied with the product, she then listed the same thermometer model for sale, buying them for S$55 each from the same Qoo10 seller whenever she received an order. She then resold them for about S$64 to S$78 each.