The Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) issued a warning after finding counterfeit lift inspection labels in New York City and Long Island.
The ANSI-accredited product certification body has found forged labels that date back as far as 2016.
This discovery was made after following up on reports of counterfeit inspection labels with the ALI Certified Lift Inspector mark. These phony labels can mislead people to believe the lift has met ALI inspection requirements.
Intentionally using these labels to forge authentication in attempts to deceive Department of Transportation inspectors, shop owners, technicians, Occupational Health and Safety officials and others is unlawful. Any lifts with the incorrect label should have it immediately removed and must be re-inspected by a qualified inspector as soon as possible.
As of May 29, no damage or injury has been reported as a result of fraudulent ALI labels, although these counterfeits have been found in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Long Island.
Gemco Garage Equipment Corp., said to be located at 15375 Rockaway Boulevard in Jamaica, New York, is not qualified to use ALI’s mark, so all patrons are advised to be cautious of legitimacy. ALI stated it plans to prosecute this misuse of its label and urges anyone who believes they may have a counterfeit ALI inspection label to contact the organization for verification.
Here are examples of and additional info on legitimate ALI lift inspection labels:
Here is an example of a counterfeit ALI lift inspection label:
To locate the ALI-certified inspector nearest to you, visit the directory of ALI-certified lift inspectors at https://www.autolift.org/find-a-certified-auto-lift-inspector.