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SCMP Reporter

They say that if it looks too good to be true, it probably isn't. 
So the next time you go online to buy that glittering Tiffany bauble  for your loved one, beware.  
It was only a matter of time before the coveted American jewellery brand fell victim to the mainland's relentless counterfeiters.
However, after months of help from Hong Kong private investigators, mainland public security bureau officers have seized tens of thousands of fake Tiffany jewellery pieces with a value estimated at HK$92 million.
The raids on Monday in Guangzhou  were carried out by police in co-operation with investigators hired by Tiffany to probe fakes, some sold online.  The counterfeit Tiffany pieces, numbering about 80,000, were seized by the Economic Crime Investigation Department  of Guangzhou Public Security Bureau  at several locations, included a packing factory in a residential area. 
 The fakes are estimated to account for more than half the counterfeit Tiffany pieces selling globally, and are believed to have been  aimed at customers in Hong Kong, the United States, Canada and Britain.
Derek Elmer,  chief executive of Hong Kong-based private investigators I-OnAsia,   described the case as a huge blow for the criminal syndicate behind the racket.
'It sends a very clear message to the Pearl River Delta that brand owners will not tolerate trademark infringement,' Elmer said.
The private investigation firm used surveillance 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and staff posed as customers to collect intelligence.  
Many websites selling counterfeit Tiffany pieces can be easily found on the internet. Some of the sites claim that the products they sell are from the original manufacturer for Tiffany. The websites look strikingly like Tiffany's website, and even use official Tiffany pictures. 
Some sell what they claim to be the real thing, as well as pieces that look like the real thing.  
The counterfeiters were selling them globally at anything from 50 to 80 per cent off Tiffany's retail price.
For example,  a counterfeit cuff bracelet from Tiffany's 1837 collection sells for GBP77.50 (HK$930),  less than a third of Tiffany's retail price of about HK$3,600 in Hong Kong. 
The fakes are showcased in a systematic way on the Web, listed in different categories, including accessories, necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings. Buyers can choose to pay online via PayPal or credit card.
Some syndicates, Elmer said, even posted counterfeit products on auction websites, claiming to be offering the real thing. 
As well as buying counterfeit pieces, I-OnAsia sent investigators to the mainland and other countries for surveillance which included  following the couriers to trace the delivery routes and locate production lines. 
The syndicate separated storage and packing into different locations, hidden in a residential area known as a hangout for criminals. The private investigators rented an apartment opposite the suspected counterfeit factory for surveillance.
During Monday's raids counterfeit-Tiffany silver pieces were found in storage, including about 35,000 packages in Tiffany blue, and several computers.
The syndicate even produced accessories for the products: a cutting machine seized in the factory was for making silver-polish cloth similar to Tiffany's, to make the fakes even more convincing.
A mainland public security officer confirmed the existence of the operation. Although he declined to give details, it is understood that about 100 public security bureau officers were deployed in the synchronised raids, on different premises. 
Nine people were arrested. 
In recent years, many international luxury brands have employed private investigation firms to conduct trademark-infringement and market investigations. 
The brands co-operate with local law enforcement authorities when criminal acts are found. 
LVMH, the group behind Louis Vuitton, has an internal counterfeit team, which provides information to Hong Kong Customs and Excise.




Fake-Tiffany syndicate raided in Guangzhou