Hong Kong customs shuts down 2 online stores selling fake luxury goods worth HK$920,000; 2 arrested
- Customs warns fake cosmetic products and perfumes could pose health and safety risks
- Seized counterfeits include well-known luxury brands such as Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Tiffany & Co and Louis Vuitton
Inspector Liu Man-chun of the Customs and Excise Department’s intellectual property technology crime investigation bureau said on Thursday that officers posing as consumers made purchases from the stores before raiding an industrial unit in Cheung Sha Wan and a flat in Yuen Long two days ago.
Officers arrested a man, 23, and a woman, 25, during the raids and seized about 1,900 counterfeit items.
The fakes consisted of cosmetic products and perfumes labelled with well-known luxury brands such as Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Tiffany & Co and Louis Vuitton, with an estimated street value of HK$920,000.
The inspector said the two online stores claimed the goods were parallel-import products – legal imports of genuine goods – and limited-edition products offered at lower prices to attract online shoppers.
“A bottle of fake brand-name perfume was sold at HK$350, which is about 30 per cent of the price of the genuine product,” Liu said.
