Look at the barcode to distinguish counterfeit goods from genuine ones.

Almost every product has a barcode; if a product doesn't have one, be careful, it's very likely a counterfeit.

We can distinguish between genuine and counterfeit goods by checking the barcode; this method is absolutely 100% accurate.

Market management officials destroy goods involved in commercial fraud. Photo: Viet Phuong

There are two types of barcodes: 8-digit barcodes and 13-digit barcodes. These numbers provide all the information about the product. Both 8-digit and 13-digit barcodes are identified in the same way.

We should remember this simple and easy-to-remember saying: "Even numbers multiplied by three plus odd numbers," then add the last digit. If the sum ends in 0, it's genuine; if it's anything other than 0, it's fake. Very easy to remember!

First:To determine the origin of an item, simply look at the first three digits of the barcode. For example, if the first three digits are 893, you know the item was manufactured in Vietnam. If it's 690, 691, 692, or 693, it's from China; 880 is from South Korea; and 885 is from Thailand.

Vietnamese product barcode

Looking at the image above, I see the number 893, so I know immediately that this is a Vietnamese product.

Barcode for Chinese goods

If it's 690, 691, 692, or 693 as shown in the picture, then it's a Chinese product.

Korean product barcode

And this is 880, definitely a Korean product.

Monday:Once you know the origin, determine whether it's genuine or counterfeit.

We take the sum of the even-numbered digits multiplied by 3 and add it to the sum of the odd-numbered digits (excluding the 13th digit, which is for verification).

For example, we will check if the Korean barcode on the product is genuine.

Sum of the odd-numbered digits (excluding the last digit): A = 8 + 0 + 0 + 3 + 5 + 4 = 20

Sum of even-numbered digits: B = 8 + 9 + 1 + 3 + 0 + 2 = 23

Now we take: C = A + B*3 = 20 + 23*3 = 89

Then I add this number to the 13th digit. If the last digit of the sum is 0, then it's genuine. If the last digit of the sum is not 0, then it's definitely fake.

How to distinguish counterfeit goods from genuine ones.

Next, D = C + 1 (the number in the last position) = 89 + 1 = 90. Since this number ends in 0, we can conclude that this is genuine.

Barcode system table of various countries

Some people wonder why counterfeiters don't also counterfeit the barcodes of genuine products. The answer is that they would never dare to counterfeit the barcodes because the company producing the genuine product would immediately sue the counterfeit company for theft and copying. Therefore, barcodes are always correct and cannot be counterfeited.

And why is it that when you multiply an even number by three, add an odd number, and then add the last digit, if the resulting number ends in 0, it's a genuine product? Why is this formula always correct? Because it's an international convention called EAN.