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Updated at: 12/03/2009 9:34 AM Name Brand Merchandise - Real or Fake?Surrounded by boxes filled with knock-off Prada, Coach, Nike and Dolce and Gabbana, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office (I.C.E.) says they have a message: "If the price is too good to be true, it's too good to be true," said Special Agent in Charge Claude Arnold, of I.C.E. According to I.C.E., counterfeit merchandise is typically sold for about one-third of the regular retail value. More than just the price-tag though-- the federal agency says the quality-- or lack there of-- is a good clue that knock-off wallets, purses, shoes and jerseys are just that; knock-off. Sometimes it's very obvious. For example, a counterfeit Minnesota Twins jersey taken from a local store had a major league logo that was actually sewn on upside down. Other times, it's more discrete, like on the lettering inside a fake Vikings jersey-- the manufacturer used a template to put the lettering on, but carelessly left much of the excess template attached. When it comes to shoes, such as a pair of knock-off Nikes-- the undercover agents say it's in the soles. Oftentimes, they are rock hard. According to I.C.E., manufacturers making the goods typically use synthetic leather-- often holding them together with glue, where stitches won't do the trick. And for consumers who think they are getting nothing more than a "bargain," think again. Arnold says while making counterfeit merchandise is increasing on a national level, this is not victimless . According to him, it supports organized crime. "You're supporting organized crime by doing that," Arnold said. "You don't know what the proceeds of buying those goods are going for." Charges are still pending against the owners of three Duluth businesses, where authorities recently seized $100-thousand in counterfeit merchandise. |
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