BEWARE OF FAKE ZAM ZAM WATER

It appears that scoundrels are again at work with their fake ‘zam zam’ water which is being sold in South Africa. A Brother offers the following advice:

In the past The Majlis has warned us regarding the various fake Zam Zam water scammers who are deceiving Muslims and selling normal water labelled as Zam Zam water at astronomically high prices.

As we approach the month of Ramadaan we are being inundated with various adverts for Zam Zam water (at exorbitant prices).

I wish to bring to your attention that recently I was offered to buy some Zam Zam water in South Africa. I requested information from the seller and they sent me some pictures of the supplies. If you look carefully you can see circled in red, this supplier has their own packing facilities with fake preprinted boxes etc. to pack their fake Zam Zam Water. I note there are companies who are advertising fake packaging bottles for Zam Zam Water and some are even in South Africa.

Kindly bring to the attention of the Muslim community to triple check before buying any Zam Zam water. Although the packaging of fake Zam Zam is almost identical to the original , here are some signs to spot Fake Zam Zam:

Carefully look at the logos on the bottle , the Fake has a font that is not the same as the original bottle. Fake zam zam bottles will not have pronounced lettering and clarity. Sometimes the fake packaging will have spelling errors etc.
The original bottle has an “S” on the base of the bottle. Some fakes do not have this.
The original box has a barcode on the base of the box. The print quality is high and the writing clearly legible. Fake boxes have very poor print quality and legibility.
The lid of the original bottle has the word Zam Zam clearly printed in Arabic and English. The quality is high and marked compared to the fake. Some times the fake Zam Zam lettering is on the left of the bottle which is a give away.
The original bottle has a laser etched date and batch number on the inside of the bottle that can be seen if you hold up the bottle againsts light. Some fakes do not have this.
Lastly , since scammers are always trying to improve on their fake product , one would have to look and compare the original (i.e. someone who has physically gone to Saudi Arabia and bought the original) to the fake to have a final determination.

Be vigilant and do not be duped into buying fake water !

Jazakallah

12 Sha’baan 1445 – 23 February 2024