INDIANAPOLIS— On March 4, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at an Express Consignment Operations hub in Indianapolis seized a shipment containing inauthentic designer jewelry worth over $4 million, had the merchandise been genuine.
The shipment contained 148 pieces of knock-off of bracelets, necklaces and earrings bearing luxury designer’s protected trademarks. The items were deemed to be counterfeit by CBP’s Centers of Excellence and Expertise, the agency’s trade experts.
The shipment arrived from a company in China and was headed to a residence in Nashville, Tennessee. CBP officers examined the shipment and found, in total, 93 bracelets with Cartier logos, 15 necklaces and 15 pairs of earrings bearing Tiffany and Co. logos, 10 pairs of earrings displaying the Cartier logo, 9 bracelets with Hermes logos, and 6 bracelets bearing Louis Vuitton logos. The items were seized for infringing on the designer’s protected trademarks recorded with CBP for border enforcement. Had the items been genuine the combined Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price for these products would have been $4.62 million.
“Our officers and import specialists have done an excellent job targeting shipments and identifying counterfeit items,” said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director, Field Operations-Chicago Field Office. “CBP protects businesses and consumers every day with an aggressive intellectual property rights enforcement program, keeping the profits from this illegal activity from funding criminal activities.”
CBP recommends consumers recognize the red flags to look for when shopping discounts:
- Purchase goods directly from the trademark holder, original manufacturer, or from authorized retailers.
- Educate yourself on prices of legitimate goods. If the item is priced well below fair market value, the likelihood is higher the merchandise being considered for purchase is counterfeit. If a price seems too good to be true, then it probably is.
- Stay away from web sites not offering customer service contact information, return policies, and legitimate phone numbers.
- Review CBP’s E-Commerce Counterfeit Awareness Guide for Consumers for more detailed information.
CBP provides basic import information about admissibility requirements and the clearance process for e-commerce goods and encourages buyers to confirm their purchases and the importation of those purchases comply with state and federal import regulations.
The dangers of buying counterfeit products aren’t always obvious to consumers—particularly–when shopping online. Beware of counterfeit goods. Fake goods can lead to real dangers. For more information, visit The Truth Behind Counterfeits page.
Suspected intellectual property rights violations, fraud, or illegal trade activity can be reported by contacting CBP through the e-Allegations Online Trade Violations Reporting System or by calling 1-800-BE-ALERT. Violations can also be reported to the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center at https://www.iprcenter.gov/referral/ or by telephone at 1-866-IPR-2060.
Follow CBP on X @CBPChicago and @DFOChicago to learn more about how CBP’s Office of Field Operations secures our nation’s borders.
