Premium BrandsJanuary 28, 2021 Counterfeit Designer Clothing and Accessories Seized Handbags, wallets and various other items carrying names such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Chanel were seized by US Customs and Border Protection. Inconsistencies and incorrect packaging noticed by officers flagged the shipment as fakes, which would have retailed over $500,00. Learn More
Premium BrandsNovember 11, 2020 Growing Concerns in Rising Number of Fakes The American Apparel & Footwear Association is expressing concerns over increasing numbers of counterfeit items in the market. E-commerce driven by social media platforms and giant Amazon have paved the way for fake items to enter the market. While measures have been taken by Amazon and government seizures continue to be reported of counterfeit items imported, the AAFA has nominated 13 physical marketplaces and 13 online marketplaces to be added to the Office of US Trade Representative’s Notorious Markets List. Learn More
Premium BrandsOctober 19, 2020 Peloton Injuries Prompt Recall on 27,000 Bikes The popular in-home fitness company, Peloton, has issued a voluntary recall on it’s PR70P bike pedals due to pedals unexpectedly breaking and the possibility of injury. The US Consumer Products Safety Commission has received at least 120 consumer reports. Bikes purchased between July 2013 and May 2016 may be affected. Learn More
Premium BrandsSeptember 8, 2020 Employee Caught in $15 Million-Plus Louis Vuitton Counterfeit Scheme A Louis Vuitton sales employee has recently been identified in a counterfeiting scheme involving Louis Vuitton bags. Counterfeit bags were produced with sophisticated equipment that gave the bags even higher levels of traceability and anti-counterfeiting looking measures that authentic Louis Vuitton bags don’t actually contain. Learn More
Premium BrandsMay 1, 2020 Over $1M Dollars in Perfume Confiscated Just in time for Mother’s Day, more than 60,000 bottle of counterfeit perfume was confiscated in Miami with a retail price of the lot totaling over $1.7 million dollars. Brands such as Christian Dior and CHANEL were among the lot officers seized deeming the fake perfume to be a threat to America’s economy as well as people’s health and safety, not to mention an infringement on protected trademarks. Learn More
Premium BrandsMarch 16, 2020 COVID-19 Wreaks Havoc on Global Supply Chains Initially the supply chain fears were originating in China where production facilities were closing, but even with factories coming back online the rest of the world remains in distress. Roughly 20% of U.S. retailers’ supply chains are exposed to China, where companies like Steve Madden and Best buy have over 60% of goods sourced from China. There is an estimated loss of at least $700 million to U.S. retailers and companies like Gap that said its “Not Currently Possible” to quantify the hit companies will take in 2020 as a result of the Coronavirus. Learn More
Premium BrandsFebruary 24, 2020 Counterfeit Items Suspected in Over Half Purchased from Major Online Retailers Over 50% of items bought from AliExpress, Ebay, Amazon, and Walmart were suspected fakes in a recent online shopping experiment. In a study done by CBC it was found that after ordering dozens of name brand products that more than half were suspected to be counterfeit. Some items tested were Apple Airpods, Kylie Jenner Cosmetics, Crest Strips, Jerseys, Legos, and many more. The items were purchased from the various retailers and then brought to the respective manufacturer to verify authenticity, which were almost always shown to be fake. It is shown that the United states government had stopped over 99,500 shipments between 2015 and 2018 while Canada had searched 69. Learn More
Premium BrandsJanuary 14, 2020 Amazon’s Plan for Counterfeit Products Amazon has now launched three wide-scale initiatives to remove unwanted counterfeit sellers from their site. After the release of Amazons Project Zero, a program to identify counterfeit products, Amazon continued to attack the counterfeit market by introducing Intellectual Property Accelerator and its Transparency program. Following the release and implementation of these programs, Fox generated a list containing Amazons most counterfeited brands, among the list are various tech, fashion, and automotive giants like Apple and Mercedes. It is urged that consumers practice safe buying habits like price comparison, being mindful of the seller, and reading consumer reviews. Learn More
Premium BrandsJanuary 12, 2020 Counterfeit Makeup Seized in L.A. Worth $300K Popular brands such as MAC and Kylie Cosmetics lip kits were among the brands of makeup seized in Los Angeles as counterfeits being sold. Makeup is becoming a frequent item found on the black market. Consumers reporting complaints of bumps and rashes after using the products prompted the search resulting in the confiscation. Learn More
Premium BrandsDecember 2, 2019 Discount Retail Chains Selling Recalled Products Major discount retailers Marshalls, TJ Maxx and HomeGoods were found to be selling products subject to recalls taking place between 2014 and 2019. In total, nineteen different recalled products were still being sold within these stores. Three products that are specifically under fire include a sleeper that was linked to infant deaths, a speaker that is known to explode, and a scarf that did not meet federal flammability standards. The three retailers own more than 4,000 stores in 9 countries, and it remains unknown if these companies will face fines or sanctions. Learn More