Start of main content

Fake awareness

Adhering to text in counterfeit electrical books can lead to non-compliant installations, which could be potentially very dangerous. BS 7671 exists to ensure that electrical installations are safe and to reduce the risk of fire or electric shock. Using corrupted information undermines the safety of your work.

To help combat this issue, current and future copies of BS 7671, the On-Site Guide and Guidance Note 3 all contain a hologram. This currently contains the IET logo in two sizes and the word ‘GENUINE’ as well as a number of additional features.

Although this can help you to identify a fake, it is not foolproof, as counterfeiters can produce similar versions of the hologram. The only way to be certain of buying a genuine copy of our books is to buy directly from the IET, or from one of our approved suppliers, listed below.

The IET is a charity, and the dissemination of information is part of our charitable remit. Any surplus from the sale of our books is re-invested into producing guidance for industry, through our publications programme and Wiring Matters magazine. The proceeds from the sale of fake books do not support the industry in any way and harm the IET’s ability to fulfil its remit.

If you think you might have mistakenly purchased a fake copy of an IET book, please get in touch with us with as much information as possible about the book and where you bought it.

Unfortunately, the IET cannot reimburse purchases bought from suppliers of counterfeit books, nor assist with the resolution of disputes, but we are working to shut down any counterfeiters that we find and take legal action against them to reduce the risk to the industry.

Purchasers can ensure they are buying a genuine copy of any of our titles, by purchasing directly from the IET or from one of our preferred suppliers, including:

If you are a librarian, preferred library suppliers are:

For the booktrade we can verify stock from Gardners Books.

The Counterfeit Issue (1 of 2)

The IET’s Chief Electrical Engineer Geoff Cronshaw talks about the consequences of using counterfeit IET Wiring Regulations books.

The Counterfeit Issue (2 of 2)

The IET’s Technical Manager Mark Coles explains how to avoid purchasing counterfeit IET Wiring Regulations books.