Counterfeiters are taking advantage of the pandemic. Here’s how to stop them
Counterfeiters are flooding markets with fake masks, coronavirus test kits, PPE worn by frontline workers, medicine and medical equipment used for healing patients afflicted with COVID-19.
Last week, the European Anti-Fraud Office announced that they had already identified 340 companies trading in counterfeit products linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. The large majority of these fake goods are ineffective if not downright dangerous, and deceive both patients and doctors who trust that they are using genuine and effective treatments. This reduces the likelihood of patient recovery, and generally disrupts efforts to stop or slow the spread of the virus.
That counterfeiters have quickly seized on this new market opportunity shouldn’t come as a surprise. Whether a luxury handbag or watch, a medication or a bottle of wine, anything with a brand name attached to it will be counterfeited. The exterior or packaging of many counterfeits look identical to the genuine products, while the product itself is usually malfunctioning, made with inferior components, or at the very least does not adhere to proper manufacturing practices.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/06/counterfeiters-pandemic-how-to-stop-them/
Lear More
Pune: Fake Indian, foreign currency of Rs 87 crore ‘value’ seized; jawan among 6 arrested
Fake Indian and foreign currency notes — including play currency notes marked ‘Children’s Bank of India’ — of a total face value of Rs 87 crore were seized in a joint operation of the Military Intelligence and Pune City police on Wednesday. A serving Army jawan along with five civilians has been arrested in connection with the case.
The stash was found in a bungalow in Viman Nagar in an action conducted on Wednesday afternoon that started with a decoy team being sent to the racketeers. Primary probe has revealed that the suspects were part of a racket of exchanging fake notes for genuine ones during currency exchange transactions. Investigators believe that the modus operandi of the suspects was to accept genuine notes and, in return, give stacks of notes, some of them genuine, some good-quality fake currency and some play notes.
The joint operation was conducted by the Southern Command Liaison Unit (SCLU) of Military Intelligence (MI) and teams from the Crime Branch of Pune City Police.
Lear MoreDelhi Police busts liquor smuggling gang, seizes 1,008 quarter bottles of alcohol
Delhi Police busted a gang involved in smuggling liquor from Haryana into the national capital and seized 21 boxes (1,008 quarter bottles) of ‘Impact Grain Whisky’ meant for sale in neighbouring Haryana only.
Police seized the boxes of illegally smuggled liquor from a car that was being driven by one Anil Kumar, a resident of Suraksha Vihar in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar area. Kumar has been arrested.
The accused, Anil Kumar, was carrying the illegal consignment in a car for supplying to bootleggers in Uttam Nagar and Dabri area when the vehicle was intercepted by the police. An investigation underway to search and arrest other members of the syndicate.
The gang used to illegally smuggle huge quantities of liquor from Haryana to Delhi to evade the 70 per cent ‘Special Corona Fee’ imposed in the national capital.
To prevent car-jacking and theft of motor vehicles, the Dwarka Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) often conducts surprise vehicle checks by placing barricades at vulnerable places and also by carrying out extensive patrolling in markets and isolated stretches in the area.
Lear MoreThousands Of Unapproved, Counterfeit COVID-19 Tests And Medications Seized At Port Of Baltimore
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — 14,000 COVID-19 treatment capsules and dozens of COVID testing kits were seized by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore. Both the treatment capsules and testing kits were all imported from China and are all completely fake. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, so too do the scams. It’s why HSI launched a nationwide operation, Operation Stolen Promise, to seize COVID contraband.
The Baltimore-based team of agents found the COVID-19 treatment capsules at the Port of Baltimore, hidden in boxes under packets of Chinese tea. “It was no secret to law enforcement that there were going to be people trying to take advantage of the pandemic,” said John Eisert, HSI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge.
More than anything, said Eisert, his team is concerned about what’s inside the capsules, that promise to relieve COVID patients of their symptoms. “In prior seizures of pharmaceuticals, we’ve seen ingredients such as sheet rock and pesticides and lead,” Eisert told WJZ.
HSI teams across the country are also trying to take down websites where these products are available to be purchased and shipped to America.
https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2020/06/09/port-of-baltimore-coronavirus-tests-medications-seized/
Lear More
Authorities Seize Thousands of Counterfeit HP Products in Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria
The battle against counterfeit products distribution continues as IT company, HP, together with local authorities have been able to seize about 200,000 counterfeit products in Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania.
As reported, the products included HP-branded printer cartridges and modules that were meant to be used to assemble further counterfeits. In Kenya alone, the authorities successfully confiscated 5,400 counterfeit toner cartridges from 12 retail outlets in February 2020.
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, saw a series of police raids between October 2019 and March 2020, resulting in the requisition of about 185,000 illegal items. According to HP, one of the raids was thanks to a consumer report to Customer Delivery Inspection (CDI), a unique, free protection service available to HP’s large and medium customers.
Meanwhile, Nigerian authorities worked with the company to impound 7,100 illicit items in a series of outlet shop raids.
This initiative by HP is just a small part of the greater war against the trade of counterfeit products in the continent as pledged by various electronics companies including HP and LG.
https://gadgets-africa.com/2020/06/08/counterfeit-hp-products-seized-kenya-tz-nigeria/
Lear MoreCBP Has Seized Nearly 900,000 Counterfeit and Unsafe COVID-19 Supplies
Customs officers have picked up hundreds of thousands of unapproved test kits, unproven medicines and substandard protective equipment.
As the pandemic crisis wears on, Customs and Border Protection says it has amassed a sizable collection of “counterfeit, unapproved or otherwise substandard COVID-19 products that threaten the health and safety of American consumers.”
Criminals and scammers never let a crisis go to waste, and the COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. Since the outbreak, criminals have updated classic scams, including impersonating health officials to steal personal information, price gouging and fake treatments, and newer schemes like embedding malware in tracing apps.
Fraudsters are also exploiting the shortage of resources needed to combat the virus by bringing counterfeit goods across borders.
“Among other products, these criminals are smuggling and selling counterfeit safety equipment, unapproved COVID-19 test kits, unproven medicines and substandard hygiene products through the online marketplace,” according to a CBP release.
Lear MoreBusinessman jailed for his part in NZ’s largest cigarette smuggling case
A businessman has been jailed for his role in the country’s largest cigarette smuggling case.
The man and his company have interim name suppression and appeared at the Auckland District Court on Thursday after earlier admitting charges of defrauding customs, making erroneous entries in customs documents and selling goods without paying duties.
The operation involved the smuggling of over 19 million cigarettes into Auckland, hidden inside office cabinets imported from China. The smuggling avoided excise customs duties of over $18 million.
Judge Tony Fitzgerald sentenced the man to five years and three months in prison and his company to fines.
He described the offending as being on a “massive scale” that was complicated, went on for nearly three and-a-half years and was motivated by greed.
Contraband cigarette arrest points to smuggling in the military – Marais
The soldier caught with a haul of apparently illegal cigarettes has again, according to a Democratic Alliance (DA) MP, raised questions about contraband and specifically smuggling of tobacco products by uniformed personnel.
Kobus Marais, who holds the defence and military veterans portfolio in his party’s shadow cabinet, told defenceWeb exclusively he had information about cigarette smuggling in the ranks of soldiers – particularly those deployed on the border protection tasking Operation Corona.
“The Seshego arrest at the weekend is, to me, further confirmation of smuggling activities in the SA National Defence Force (SANDF),” he said, calling the non-commissioned officer’s arrest “an embarrassing act of defiance by soldiers supposed to protect South Africans, the national economy and the integrity of the country”.
Soldiers doing border protection are most likely to have opportunities for smuggling. As part of normal patrol work they encounter smugglers as well as undocumented people. While contraband is supposed to be handed to police and SA Revenue Service (SARS) personnel, Marais maintains this is not always done. Moving illicitly acquired illegal cigarettes can happen by using official vehicles.
Lear More
P17-M shipment of fake cigarettes from China seized anew at Port of Manila
A container filled with counterfeit cigarettes from China was uncovered at the Port of Manila Wednesday, the Bureau of Customs said.
Several boxes containing fake Mighty and Marvels cigarettes worth P17.38 million were found in a shipment when Customs agents opened a container consigned to Mvetisery Industrial Supply.
According to the bureau, the shipment, which arrived from China on May 22 at the Port of Manila, was placed on hold and was issued with a Pre-Lodgement Control Order last May 27 after a derogatory information was received by the port from the Customs’ Enforcement Group.
Upon 100-percent physical examination on Wednesday, June 3, the assigned Customs examiner assessed total duties and taxes amounting to P9.96 million.
Warrants of Seizure and Detention against the entire shipment has been ordered by District Collector Arsenia Ilagan for violation of Section 1401 “Unlawful Importation or Exportation” in relation to Section 1113 “Property Subject Seizure and Forfeiture” of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
Lear More
Customs conducts inventory of seized machine, counterfeit cigarettes
ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) in this city conducted Monday, June 1. an inventory of all seized cigarettes, equipment and materials that the bureau had confiscated recently inside a warehouse in Pagadian City.
Zamboanga City Bureau of Customs District Collector Segundo Barte said the inventory showed the cigarette-making machine alone had an estimated market value of P100 million, while the seized cigarettes tobacco and materials were estimated at P20 million.
“Our estimate of the seized machine and tobacco products to reached P120 million, and this was one of our major accomplishments during the first few months of the year,” Barte said.
He noted: “Our raid to the bodega in Pagadian City strongly send a signal to manufacturer of fake cigarettes to stop their nefarious activities or be jailed for violation of government rules and regulations in the manufacturing of tobacco leaf products.”
Lear More