London police close 2,000 counterfeit websites

In the latest crackdown on counterfeiters, thousands of sites were targeted for offering items ostensibly from fashion brands such as Burberry, Longchamp and Tiffany & Co but which were in fact cheaply produced substitutes.

The Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit partnered with brand owners, brand protection organisations and internet registries to close down the illicit sites.

 PIPCU head Danny Medlycott noted: “The general rule is if it looks too good to be true then it probably is; heavily discounted products are often a tell-tale sign that something isn’t right.

“When shopping online you need to be extremely vigilant that you are not misled into buying fakes. Many sites claim to be selling genuine items, but in fact they are just cheap imitations. In some cases, such as with electrical items, these products can be extremely dangerous as they aren’t subjected to the vigorous safety checks that legit items are.”

7-8% of all world trade is in counterfeit goods and this year it will account for $1.7 trillion in global lost sales.

 Verimaster technology is designed to protect global brands from counterfeiting and secure the integrity of your brand through the recognition of authentic products and the instant detection of fake items.

Similarly, Verimaster can monitor the use of specified materials in products, revealing the presence of any fake components. Available in masterbatch, liquid or powder forms, Verimaster is suitable for all polymers, paper, textiles and coatings.

*Please note that Addmaster was acquired by the Polygiene Group AB in January 2021, so all news articles prior to that date will still be branded as Addmaster.