Law enforcement crack down on counterfeit Super Bowl merchandise - Hawaii News Now
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Law enforcement is cracking down on counterfeit NFL merchandise ahead of the Super Bowl.
In the weeks leading up to the game, agents with Homeland Security Investigations and officers with the Los Angeles Police Department have been raiding swap meets and pop-up shops searching for unlicensed gear.
At a shopping center in Mission Hills, outside Los Angeles, Hawaii News Now was with the team when they found a vendor selling jerseys, shirts, hats and almost anything else a sports fan would want. Most of it, according to the officers, were counterfeit.
Law enforcement seized the items, stuffing them in large trash bags.
Special Agent Mike Rose of HSI said the goods will eventually be destroyed.
While it seems like a victim-less crime, selling and buying counterfeit goods can have a devastating effect on legitimate businesses that sell authentic items.
The illegal trade is also often associated with other criminal activities.
“They don’t just sell fake merchandise,” Rose said — organized dealers of counterfeits usually have other criminal activities.
Ricardo Mayoral, the acting director of HSI’s Intellectual Property Rights unit, said more recently, those dealers have been using social media to advertise. When a user clicks the link and makes a purchase, they often have their credit card information stolen.
In 2020, HSI seized more than $120 million worth of counterfeit Super Bowl merchandise before the game even started.
In 2021, with COVID restrictions, that dropped to $45M.
Rose said the Super Bowl brings in more fake goods than any other American sporting event.
“It’s a set date and place,” Rose said. Unlike the World Series or NBA Finals, the Super Bowl location and date are determined years in advance.
“The counterfeit dealers can plan ahead.”
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source: https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2022/02/10/big-game-nears-law-enforcement-crack-down-counterfeit-super-bowl-merchandise/
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