INDIANAPOLIS — The growth of e-commerce allows people to purchase millions of products online, but it also creates opportunities for fake and counterfeit goods to enter the United States.
In early January, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents in Indianapolis seized three shipments of counterfeit designer jewelry.
The first package contained more than 1,700 pieces of fake jewelry bearing trademarks of several high-end brands. If it had been genuine, the jewelry would have been valued at $2,059,511, says CBP.
The following day, two more shipments were seized. One package contained 278 counterfeit Cartier and Hermes bracelets. The second package held 1,680 pieces of fake jewelry from brands including Chanel, Dior, Pandora, Prada, and Tiffany. If the jewelry in the shipments had been authentic, it would have been worth more than $2.8 million.
“Legitimate trade strengthens our economy,” said Indianapolis Acting Port Director Timothy Hubbard, “but counterfeit and pirated goods threaten American jobs and innovation.”
Consumers in the U.S. spend more than $100 billion every year on counterfeit goods, with Americans falling victim to approximately 20% of the counterfeits that are illegally sold worldwide.
