I’m writing again about another so-called “victimless crime.” It’s just getting a good deal. What’s the harm? Well the harm can be endless. Not only to the companies which produce the real items, but to the people who toil to produce them and to untold thousands who are the targets of the organized crime and terrorism groups that get their funding through the counterfeit or pirated goods market.
According to the Secretary of Interpol:
“The link between organized crime groups and counterfeit goods is well established. But Interpol is sounding the alarm that Intellectual Property Crime is becoming the preferred method of funding for a number of terrorist groups.”
According to this article, “In the first half of this year alone, the U.S. Customs has seized $56 million dollars worth of footwear and apparel. And that’s just what they caught.”
But as the US Chamber pointed out the fakes don’t stop at apparel but continue on to fake drugs:
“The Federal Joint Terrorism Task Force recently announced the indictment of members of a global crime ring that dealt in counterfeit prescription drugs. It wasn’t just the introduction of fake drugs into the supply chain that posed a threat – virtually all profits were funneled into the terrorist group Hezbollah.”
While the majority (81% of the items seized in the first half of this year), can be traced back to China, the internet is making is easier to sell these goods, and of course the largest online marketplace eBay is a popular route to unload counterfeits.
Tiffany says eBay turned “blind eye” to fakes.
According to this book, Knockoff The Deadly Trade In Counterfeit Goods, counterfeiting is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, and accounts for $500 billion or 7% of the world’s trade.
How do private investigators tie in with this? You can do a Google search and find many examples of companies working with private investigators to help shut down counterfeiters. One of the articles I’ve sited above states:
“[B]ut the bulk of their work reads like a Law & Order script: working with private investigators to stake out shipments of counterfeit goods, setting up sting operations with local officials and hauling the fake merch off in paddy wagons.”
In fact companies often will collaborate for the common good:
“In a competitive marketplace, counterfeit is one area where rival brands work together. 7 shares private investigators with Abercrombie & Fitch and True Religion who, in this case, hold the common interest of getting forged apparel off the streets.”
I personally know of private investigators working to spot eBay counterfeits and pirated goods and making buys of such.
For those of you who are more visually oriented there’s a video regarding the case in which a Georgia PI uncovered fake purses and the investigative journalist was almost ran over. Handbag Investigation Turns Dangerous
But the best defense in this, as with many other crimes, is a good offense. Until “consumers begin to view counterfeits as more a social ill and less a shopping bargain, …the demand for fakes will likely be as strong as the originals they copy.”
And as an important side note here many parents, like myself, will be or have started thinking about Christmas shopping. If you are worried about recalled toys from China, here is the link to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Also, in an effort to avoid Chinese manufactured products I’ve started looking for items made in the US or European countries. Following are some sites I have found so far:
General list of all different products made in the US: http://www.usstuff.com/index.htm
Toys Made in the US: http://www.toysmadeinamerica.com/
A great toy and game site that let’s you search by country of origin and has many interesting looking items: http://www.fatbraintoys.com/index.cfm
Some sites for baby and toddler toys: http://www.peapods.com/ and http://www.maplelandmark.com/
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: Counterfeit Good Investigations, Fake Goods, knoxville private investigator, Toys Made in America
