BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – WITH the Internet now being known as one of the easiest avenues for people to purchase a variety of items, it has rapidly become a very easy way to get duped into buying counterfeit products worldwide, and St. Kitts-Nevis is no exception.
News reaching this publication states that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has reported that arsenic in lipsticks and carcinogens in perfumes might be among a large number of counterfeit products sold over the internet during the Christmas period.
In a recent news release (Jan 2), the FBI reported a sharp increase in the sales of dangerous beauty products, thanks in part to the Internet, which allows anyone anywhere widespread access to potential customers.
In early December, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced it had teamed up with 10 foreign law enforcement agencies to seize hundreds of websites that were selling counterfeit merchandise to unsuspecting consumers.
“The 706 [websites] seized were set up to dupe consumers into unknowingly buying counterfeit goods as part of the holiday shopping season,” the ICE news release said.
The FBI has however stated that criminals increasingly view dealing in counterfeit personal care products as well as other knock-off consumer goods as a relatively low-risk crime.
“There is no typical profile of the individuals or groups trafficking in these kinds of counterfeit products,” the FBI news release says, “and this might just be one of their many illegal activities - oftentimes, the illicit proceeds are used to fund other types of crime.
“We’ve also seen people selling counterfeit products through online auction sites and other websites just to make a little extra cash. Some may not even realise their merchandise is fake.”
Indicators of Counterfeits
• The packaging differs slightly from the authentic brand (might be a different color or different lettering on the product), and/or the product’s wrapping appears haphazard;
• The product is being advertised as a “limited edition” even though the authentic manufacturer doesn’t offer it as a limited edition;
• The price is either slightly or drastically lower;
• For cosmetics, the product’s consistency or texture just doesn’t feel or look like the authentic brand;
• For fragrances, there’s something a little off about the scent, and the color of the fluid in the bottle might be different than the original; and
• For both products, they’re being sold at non-authorised retailers, including flea markets, mall kiosks, and over the Internet.
Due to the global nature of Internet crime, the IPR Center, National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center partnered with Europol who, through its member countries, seized 393 foreign-based top-level domains as part of Project Transatlantic III.
Additionally, Hong Kong Customs coordinated the seizure of 16 foreign-based top-level domains hosted in Hong Kong, enlisting the assistance of the web-hosting companies to suspend the service of related websites.
"Working with our international partners on operations like this shows the true global impact of IP crime," said ICE Acting Director John Sandweg. "Counterfeiters take advantage of the holiday season and sell cheap fakes to unsuspecting consumers everywhere. Consumers need to protect themselves, their families, and their personal financial information from the criminal networks operating these bogus sites."
During the weeks leading up to the end of the year, the market is usually flooded with counterfeit products being sold at stores, on street corners, and online, according to law enforcement officials, not only ripping off the consumer with shoddy products, but also putting their personal financial information at risk.
According to the IPR Center, the most popular counterfeit products seized each year include headphones, sports jerseys, personal care products, shoes, toys, luxury goods, cell phones and electronic accessories,.
"This operation is another good example of how transatlantic law enforcement cooperation works. It sends a signal to criminals that they should not feel safe anywhere," said Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol. "Unfortunately the economic downturn has meant that disposable income has gone down, which may tempt more people to buy products for prices that are too good to be true. Consumers should realise that, by buying these products, they risk supporting organised crime."
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the US government’s agency that has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime.
