As the holiday season approaches, online shoppers are being warned to stay vigilant against counterfeit items. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has reported that over $23.2 million worth of such items were confiscated during the 2023 fiscal year, which spans from October 1, 2022, to the end of August 2023. These goods would have been valued at over $2.8 billion if they were genuine.
A news release from CBP reveals that accessories, handbags, wallets, footwear, watches, jewelry, consumer electronics and apparel are among the most frequently counterfeited items. In the Los Angeles Field Office alone, officers seized goods that would have been worth $952 million if they had been produced by their original manufacturers.
CBP Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner Troy Miller commented on this issue: "The rise of e-commerce offers a haven for criminals who are now able to hide behind seemingly legitimate listings on well-known websites, making it difficult to differentiate fakes from the real ones." He added that consumers may not realize that their purchases often fund criminal activities such as forced labor or human trafficking.
According to CBP guidelines, consumers should be wary of certain red flags including price (counterfeit items typically cost 50 percent to 70 percent less than their genuine counterparts), website details (including any misspellings), inauthentic reviews used by sellers to market products and customer service addresses located outside America. The agency also highlighted some potentially dangerous counterfeit products marketed to shoppers including adapters, creams, lotions, make-up, diet pills, aircraft parts, auto parts, pharmaceutical products, personal care products, hazardous toys and electrical extensions.
"Counterfeits are often produced under unsanitary conditions and through exploitative labor practices," stated Cheryl M. Davies, CBP Director of Los Angeles Field Operations. She added: "Detecting, intercepting and seizing dangerous imports is our top priority."
