When Doing Your Holiday Shopping For Both High-End & Everyday Products Be Aware Of Counterfeit Products, A Global Criminal Enterprise Soon To Exceed $1.5 Trillion.

Easy distribution, low risk and quick profits for counterfeiters

There are plenty of fake goods – glitzy name brand products worn by the not-to secure person, but what's the harm?  Plenty, says Craig Crosby, founder of the consumer protection website The Counterfeit Report® 

(www.theCounterfeitReport.com). An avalanche of visually deceptive counterfeit products is a funding a global criminal enterprise that will soon exceed $1.5 trillion. "More than likely, it's going to finance some other illicit activity, whether it be terrorism, human trafficking, drugs or some such," says Customs and Border Protection ("CBP") supervisor Bryan Nahodil.  Counterfeiting is hard to prosecute, profitable and easily distributed through internet resources, eBay, Amazon, Craig's List, retail websites and local stores.

That counterfeit Rolex watch or designer handbag slung casually over the shoulder now represents only a fraction of an estimated 750,000 lost American jobs, and a cost to US businesses over $250 Billion annually. Illegal counterfeiting is a successful global criminal enterprise; profitable, difficult to track, un-taxed and widely un-punished.  While consumer awareness is only part of the global solution, counterfeited products are now so visually deceptive consumers often unknowingly purchase hazardous or deadly products. "It's the consumer who ultimately gets hurt" says Crosby.

Could you identify these counterfeit products?  They are all actual counterfeit products.

(photo credit: TheCounterfeitReport.com )  

 

Shown: clockwise; Vans Canvas Shoe, Novartis Lamisil, Gillette Mach 3 Razor Blades, Head Radical Series Racquet, Otterbox Defender Cell Phone Case, Marc Jacobs Daisy Perfume, Bear Grylls Ultimate Hunting Knife, iPhone USB Charger, Montblanc Meisterstuck Pen, Streamlight TLR-2 Weapon Light/Laser.

Organized crime has grown counterfeiting into a virtual global ATM for the bad guys, and is funding gangs, criminal activity, human trafficking, and even terrorists says a World Trade Organization report. Counterfeited products are not victimless crimes, but an organized, highly profitable criminal enterprise with sometimes deadly results.

While price and quality were usually an indication that products were counterfeit and most consumers still believe they can identify a fake, "that is simply not true" says Crosby. "Consumers looking for a bargain are handing over good money for bad products at prices near retail believing they are purchasing the real thing."  These products, while visually almost identical to the authentic item, are poor quality and usually fail after being given as gifts or put into use. 

Think you can spot a counterfeit?  "Probably not" says Crosby who reviews hundreds of counterfeit products. "Serious problems and hazards await unsuspecting consumers who unknowingly use counterfeit products every day that are widely distributed via the internet, swap meets and retail stores.  Examples include counterfeit auto air bags, fire extinguishers, medications, electronic components, power equipment and alcohol.

The Counterfeit Report website features over 200 global brands and a wide variety of counterfeit products accompanied by hundreds of product photos to educate and help consumersvisually identify the fakes. "If it's manufactured, it's probably been counterfeited and will likely fool you." says Crosby. 

The distribution process is the same and simple; consumers shopping for "a good internet deal" see website listings displaying the manufacturer's (stock) advertising product photo of authentic everyday products; fragrances, phone chargers, sporting goods, batteries and much, much more. However, what the consumer often receives is an expertly crafted counterfeit; specifically designed, manufactured and packaged to deceive them -- and they are.

Counterfeit products are also purchased specifically to be substituted for locally purchased authentic products and then returned to retailers for a refund. The barcodes scan correctly, and when accompanied by a receipt and still sealed, may go un-noticed by untrained sales staff. The undetected counterfeit is returned to store inventory and sold to an unsuspecting consumer. Crosby occasionally presents counterfeit products to retail employees who are often astonished at the appearance and visual quality of many counterfeit items, yet the retailers usually note the comparative quality differences with side-by-side-comparisons.   

The Counterfeit Report® is the first and only website to provide consumers a free and informative visual guide to detecting counterfeit products, while providing manufacturers with brand protection and direct consumer education. The Counterfeit Report uses photos to show consumers the sophistication of counterfeiters and their ability to create visually identical counterfeit products and packaging of products consumers would never suspect are counterfeited. Consumers can report seeing or purchasing counterfeit products directly to the manufacturer on the website, while manufacturers have an immediate resource to list and update their counterfeit product information in a central venue for the greatest audience exposure.  

Website: www.theCounterfeitReport.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Counterfeit-Report/131568053660579 

New App Provides Photos For Consumer Counterfeit Product Detection

Consumers get visual help in identifying counterfeit products.

 Purchasing a poor-quality product sounds foolish -- nobody wants shoes that don’t last, fuzzy DVD's or batteries that leak, but the problem is much bigger than that. Sophisticated counterfeiters provide products that are almost visually identical to the genuine item and the consumer is getting burned, often with significant personal safety risks.

Could you identify this as a counterfeit Chanel product? (it is..)

The website; The Counterfeit Report®  (www.theCounterfeitReport.com) provides consumers a free and informative visual guide to detecting counterfeit products, while providing manufacturers brand protection and consumer education. Consumers can also report seeing or purchasing counterfeit products directly to the manufacturer right on the website.  “The Counterfeit Report is actually showing consumers the sophistication of counterfeiters and their ability to create almost visually identical counterfeit products and packaging. If it's manufactured, it's probably counterfeited and it will likely fool you” says founder Craig Crosby. 

Internet sites Amazon Marketplace and eBay are flooded with counterfeit products often deceptively advertised as "genuine" or "authentic" by seasoned sellers. Hidden behind the manufacturer's stock (advertising) photos in the listing is a counterfeit product that will be sold to an unsuspecting buyer. Many of these products are of poor quality or a safety risk, and the seller will disappear after the sale.  Great feedback is not an indication of a trustworthy seller because many people leave feedback before they become aware their purchase is a counterfeit, actually using the item or giving it as a gift.

In addition to the hazards of buying counterfeit medicines, imagine grabbing the counterfeit Coast Guard Approved Fire Extinguisher featured on The Counterfeit Report website for your boat fire, only to find it is contains ineffective chemicals and doesn't work. Other risks include counterfeit batteries that end up in emergency responder's rescue equipment, home smoke detectors and baby monitors. The unsuspecting counterfeit perfume user may find ingredients like urine, bacteria and antifreeze in the product going on their skin..

While the counterfeit product industry is an exploding $700 billion global criminal industry, there was little information or protection available is available to consumers until now. The Counterfeit Report is the first and only website that provides manufacturers an immediate resource to list and update their counterfeit product information in a central venue. This helps consumers instantly identify counterfeit or fake products before they buy, and expands consumer awareness of counterfeit products they would never suspect like the Gillette Razor Blades, Coast Guard Approved Fire Extinguishers and Tide Detergent featured on the website. The anti-counterfeiting effort is more than protecting a trademark or brand; it is also protecting consumers and pets from unsafe and potentially deadly products and medications.

Counterfeit products are usually identified when they fail and are returned to the manufacturer for warranty repairs, leaving the consumer out their investment and without the product. It's the consumer who ultimately gets hurt, while counterfeit goods, mainly from China, have become as profitable for Asia's criminal gangs as illegal drug trafficking says a United Nations report. Without consumer education, counterfeiters will continue to pump counterfeit auto parts, fashion accessories, heath care items, medications, pet supplies and sporting goods into a market already saturated with fake Rolex watches and designer handbags.

The counterfeit statistics are staggering. Over 40% of online prescriptions are counterfeit, Amazon Marketplace was recently identified as a leader in the proliferation of counterfeit products, and the US Military reports a huge influx of counterfeit parts that are putting our troops at risk. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) estimates that over 500,000 counterfeit aircraft parts are installed in aircraft each year, with potentially catastrophic results. 33 million doses of fake Malaria drugs were seized in Angola.

The economic impact of counterfeiting is also substantial; the purchase of counterfeit products is supporting criminals who avoid paying taxes, cost US businesses over $250 Billion annually and destroy an estimated 750,000 US jobs. However, the average consumer only thinks of counterfeit goods as phony Rolex watches, fake high-fashion handbags, or cheap knock-offs of designer T-shirts.

While we all recognize the tough economic times, there is no reason for a consumer to get stung by poor quality, substandard and unsafe counterfeit products and medications. "It's the consumer who ultimately gets hurt. We're here simply because counterfeiting is wrong” concluded Crosby.

Website: www.theCounterfeitReport.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Counterfeit-Report/131568053660579