Counterfeiting is a federal and state crime, involving the manufacturing or distribution of goods under someone else’s name, and without their permission. Counterfeit goods are generally made from lower quality components, in an attempt to sell a cheap imitation of similar goods produced by brands consumers know and trust.
No doubt you are familiar with counterfeit products. Though they have been a problem for many years for name-brand manufacturers, usually the knockoff goods are easy to identify. They have shoddy sewing, crooked logos and are made with low quality materials. So far, these low quality copies have not been a serious threat to them.
Recently however, there is a new type of counterfeit. Their quality is so high, it is nearly impossible to distinguish them from the real thing. They are called ‘superfakes,’ and name-brand manufacturers are worried.
An authentic Chanel bag can cost 5,000 dollars. A cheap knockoff typically runs around 50 dollars. Superfakes can sell for over 500 dollars.
It has not been determined where the superfakes are coming from. However, there are some theories. Some may be defective products stolen directly from the designers’ factories or products made secretly in the factories after hours.
In any case, you should think twice about buying such goods. Besides being illegal, the money from such purchases often goes to organized crime syndicates.
