Hong Kong customs officers arrest 22, shut down 17 webpages in fake designer goods operation
- Officials also seized HK$1.8 million in counterfeit products as they went after swindlers riding high on a wave of online shopping triggered by Covid-19
- Some of the phoney goods were sold during livestreaming sessions held late at night on social media to avoid detection
Hong Kong customs has shut down 17 webpages selling fake brand-name products, made 22 arrests, and seized HK$1.8 million (US$231,000) worth of counterfeit goods over the past four months as it targeted swindlers hoping to cash in on a pandemic-driven online shopping boom.
In eight of the 13 cases involved, counterfeiters claimed they could directly purchase high-end products from overseas manufacturers or suppliers, said Assistant Superintendent Henry Wong Che-yin, head of customs’ intellectual property technology crime unit.
The fakes included leather handbags, sports shoes, apparel and accessories from well-known designer brands such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Hermes.
“These [fake shopping agents] claimed their goods included limited-edition products and VIP gifts that were not sold publicly,” he said. “To attract consumers, the price [of the counterfeit goods] was between 60 and 70 per cent of the genuine products.”
The other five cases involved the sale of fake goods via live social media webcasts. Counterfeiters touted products bearing forged trademarks during live shows carried out late at night to avoid detection.
Wong said customs officers handled 12 counterfeiting cases involving the new online tactics in the past year, compared with zero in 2019.
To avoid being caught, Wong said counterfeiters also used the pandemic as an excuse to avoid face-to-face transactions, delivering the goods to buyers via logistics companies instead.
Between November and February, customs officers posing as buyers were deployed to make purchases on the involved webpages to gather evidence and identify suspects.
During the four-month operation, officers made 22 arrests and seized about 2,700 fraudulently branded products with an estimated street value of more than HK$1.8 million when they raided 17 locations across the city.
Customs and Excise Department officers are still investigating the source of the counterfeit goods.
All suspects – six men and 16 women – aged 30 to 69, have been released on bail pending further investigation.
In Hong Kong, selling or possessing for sale any goods with a forged trademark carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail and a HK$500,000 fine.
