Are those designer clothes real? $800,000 in fake merchandise seized, NC officials say
As Christmas shoppers were looking for last minute gifts this weekend they may have run into some fake brand-name goods, North Carolina officials say.
On Saturday, officials seized $805,000-worth of counterfeit merchandise while doing an “enforcement sweep” of shopping centers and flea markets in the Fayetteville area, according to a release from the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State.
The estimated value of the items is based on how much the “genuine trademarked” goods sell for, the release says.
The items found on Saturday included fake UGG boots, fake Louis Vuitton handbags and fake North Face Jackets, the release says.
The “enforcement sweep” included agents from the Dunn Police Department and Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and private investigators for brands along with agents from the North Carolina Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force, according to the release.
Officials are still investigating, the release says.
Christmas shoppers should be “wary of fakes,” the release says.
“I know everyone wants to find a bargain, but when you buy counterfeits not only are you getting poor quality products, you could also be endangering your health,” N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall said in the release.
The department has seen counterfeit perfumes and colognes with harmful chemicals and “electrical products” that are a fire hazard, Marshall said in the release.
“The trade in counterfeits also harms legitimate manufacturers and merchants and helps fund organized crime,” she said, according to the release.
The Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force has seized more than $150 million worth of of counterfeits in the state since it was created in 2004, according to the release
