Imitation Nation

In this week's news wrap-up, Shabbir and Sven talk about counterfeit-drug literacy; some highly questionable substances found in counterfeit perfumes; an art forgery conviction covering fake work from Picasso, Warhol, and Banksy; and a genius in New Jersey who tried to sell counterfeit Airpods to the officers who pulled him over for a traffic infraction. This is the audio version of Eps 30.

In this week's news wrap-up, Shabbir and Sven talk about counterfeit-drug literacy; some highly questionable substances found in counterfeit perfumes; an art forgery conviction covering fake work from Picasso, Warhol, and Banksy; and a genius in New Jersey who tried to sell counterfeit Airpods to the officers who pulled him over for a traffic infraction. This is the video version of Eps 30.

In this week's news wrap-up, Shabbir and Sven talk about a seizure of illegal peptides in Cincinnati, an exciting new low-cost counterfeit-drug detector, a counterfeit currency "bill-washing" scheme, and some serious legal setbacks for Meta. This is the video version of Eps 29.

In this week's news wrap-up, Shabbir and Sven talk about a seizure of illegal peptides in Cincinnati, an exciting new low-cost counterfeit-drug detector, a counterfeit currency "bill-washing" scheme, and some serious legal setbacks for Meta.

It's time for Shabbir and Sven to break down this week in counterfeit news! Topics in this episode include a guy who bought a $6 million dollar house with the profits from counterfeit stamps, the annual Notorious Markets Report, a man who tried to pay his court bond in counterfeit currency, Europol's latest Operation Shield, the sentencing of two co-conspirators for selling fake HIV medications, and a new anti-counterfeit measure in Australian postage stamps. Check out the full episode here!

Today's brand new episode of the Imitation Nation Podcast is live! Episode #28! Topics in this episode include a guy who bought a $6 million dollar house with the profits from counterfeit stamps, the annual Notorious Markets Report, a man who tried to pay his court bond in counterfeit currency, Europol's latest Operation Shield, the sentencing of two co-conspirators for selling fake HIV medications, and a new anti-counterfeit measure in Australian postage stamps. Check out the full episode here!

In this week's Counterfeit News, Imitation Nation talks about a farm in Pennsylvania producing counterfeit meat; a patent infringement lawsuit between two huge players in the pharma space; the DEA takedown of over 200 illegal online pharmacies; and a breakthrough to print QR codes on live bacteria. We also continue our newfound embrace of video, so you can watch the conversation unfold! Check out this week's episode!

In this episode, Imitation Nation talks to Travis Johnson from the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition, and he'll tell us exactly what he thinks Congress needs to do this year to help keep Americans safe. This is also our first foray into video podcasting, so you can put names to faces!

In this week's Counterfeit News, Imitation Nation talks about a farm in Pennsylvania producing counterfeit meat; a patent infringement lawsuit between two huge players in the pharma space; the DEA takedown of over 200 illegal online pharmacies; and a breakthrough to print QR codes on live bacteria. Check out this week's episode!

In this episode, Imitation Nation talks to Travis Johnson from the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition, and he'll tell us exactly what he thinks Congress needs to do this year to help keep Americans safe.

In this episode we interview our friends at the American Apparel and Footwear Association: Jen Hanks, Senior Director, Brand Protection Conor O'Brien, Sustainability Product Specialist Sven and I talk with them about their new report on the hazardous chemicals they found in fake products, and the larger problem of counterfeits that pose a hazard to your health.  Read the report, as well as their research on the entire digital ecology that makes money off counterfeit sold online, the digital devalue chain of counterfeits.

In the first guest episode of Imitation Nation, we welcome Stephan von Schilcher of NovaVision, a second-generation brand protection expert who grew up around holograms, covert inks, and counterfeit detection and made it his career.  Stephan has worked as a global career spanning woven security labels, RFID deployment, holograms, tamper-evident tape, cargo seals, and online brand protection.  From pallet theft in GPS dead zones to criminals cutting RFID antennas mid-transit, we explore how illicit actors exploit operational blind spots rather than just copying products. Stephan explains why layered security is the only sustainable strategy, and why rotating covert features keeps brands one step ahead. Most importantly, we dive into diversion. While counterfeits grab headlines, diverted goods quietly erode pricing integrity, safety standards, and brand trust. Expired pharmaceuticals, gray market flips, and redistributed salon-only products may be genuine at origin, but once they leave authorized channels, all bets are off. Learn more at novavisioninc.com.

In this episode, we cover: The Korean Customs Service did a special inspection surge of counterfeit products leading up to America’s Black Friday and China’s Double 11 shopping days. Along with seizing over 600,000 counterfeit items, they did materials analysis on 250 of them, including jewelry that had heavy metals at over 5,000 times the limits for safety. They also found fake Labubu dolls with phthalates, which are carcinogens, at over 300 times the maximum level considered safe. Europol has published its new report titled Cheating the Toy World: Operation LUDUS (2020–2025), and the findings are shocking. Over the course of five years, law enforcement across Europe seized nearly 50 million counterfeit and potentially dangerous toys, worth roughly €150 million, during coordinated raids.  Many of those fake toys — from dolls to building bricks and board games — failed basic safety standards, carrying risks like choking, burns, exposure to toxic chemicals, or use of faulty batteries.  Europol says the operation exposes how criminal networks exploit e-commerce, social-media sales, and global shipping to flood markets with unsafe toys — a stark warning for parents and shoppers this festive season.   UK Customs Border Force has published a border seizure report for the three years 2021 through 2023, the first report since the UK’s departure from the EU. They said that during that time, they seized over 3 million articles, 95% of which were confirmed counterfeit in 2021 and 89% in 2023. The confirmed counterfeits were all destroyed. In 2023 alone, they seized over 200 million pounds worth of fakes. The trend, they said, is for criminals to ship fewer fakes, but of a higher value. China, Hong Kong, and Turkey are the leading sources of these, in that order. Fake clothing is a consistent highest category of fakes. A startup from Fibarcode at University of Michigan has developed a clever new way to weave barcodes directly into fabrics — using invisible photonic fibers that only reveal their unique code under specific wavelengths of light. Backed by a roughly US $1.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the technology aims to tackle a huge problem: right now, less than 15% of the 92 million tonnes of clothing and textiles thrown away each year are recycled — largely because labels wear out or get cut off. By embedding a permanent, hard-to-forge “barcode” into fabric itself — invisible until scanned — Fibarcode hopes to make garments easier to sort, recycle, authenticate, and track.  Authorities in Canada are warning about potentially lethal fakes of HVAC coolant. The fake coolant, which contains lethal methyl chloride, is extremely flammable and corrosive. It can react with aluminum in the HVAC system and ignite spontaneously on contact with air. Brief exposure through inhalation can have severe health effects. If you are in the HVAC business and buy coolants like R410A and R134a, please read our alert. In a separate warning from German manufacturer Copeland, they warned about a counterfeit compressor they obtained from a customer who thought they were buying a genuine product. Counterfeit HVAC equipment has also been reported by manufacturers such as Bitzer and Danfoss. The DEA announced that in Los Angeles, in October, they seized over one million counterfeit pills made with fentanyl. This is part of a DEA surge around the country in multiple cities. Along with the pills, the LA operation also seized 70 kilograms of fentanyl powder, almost a thousand kilograms of methamphetamine, 149 kilograms of cocaine, three pill presses, 15 firearms, and 28 million dollars of cash. The operation is named Operation Fentanyl Free America. Counterfeit money news this week includes incidents in downtown Howell, Michigan. A bakery and a sandwich shop both got a fake hundred, which they didn’t catch until they took it to the bank. The sandwich shop said they specifically used a counterfeit-detecting marker on the hundred, and it passed, so they accepted it.  The customer apparently ordered something small off the menu, got their change, and left without picking up their order. And in Joliet Illinois, a police officer was caught using a fake $100 to buy lottery tickets. In  London, Ontario, Canada, local police warned about fake Canadian $50’s in circulation.

This week, the world of counterfeits and illicit trade delivered some wild twists, from fake golf grips and forged marathon bibs to a major policy earthquake out of Europe. Here are our headlines:  A Florida man pleaded guilty to trafficking counterfeit golf club grips that copied the Scotty Cameron brand, earning $170K from online sales between 2020–2024 and now facing up to 10 years in prison plus a $2M fine. An Inkster, Michigan, man is facing felony charges for allegedly using counterfeit $100 bills to pay for pizzas that he never returned to pick up.  A crew from New Jersey allegedly produced 10 fake NYC Marathon bibs by copying and modifying an image posted online.  A story in DesignNews highlights how counterfeit lithium-ion batteries lack crucial safety features, dramatically raising the risk of thermal runaway and spontaneous fires. Lululemon moves to register the term “Lululemon Dupe,” signaling a proactive strategy to address the exploding dupe economy. CRBN warns that fakes of its new pickleball paddles appeared on major marketplaces like Temu, Alibaba, eBay, OfferUp, and Facebook within weeks.  Plus, a major sentencing in the U.S. pill-press trade and a surprising turn in the Notorious Markets process that puts American platforms under a new kind of spotlight. Let’s get into it. The European Commission announced that starting in 2026, it will eliminate the 150-euro customs duty exemption for all e-commerce imports. This closes the loophole that counterfeiters relied on to ship billions of small, low-value parcels into the EU with little scrutiny. Once removed, every parcel can be screened and risk-scored, marking what experts call a turning point for global enforcement. With both the EU and U.S. moving to shut down their de minimis systems, the world’s two largest consumer markets are aligning on a new model that could reshape global e-commerce flows and significantly disrupt illicit trade.  Sophie Chen, a saleswoman for a Chinese pill-press manufacturer, was sentenced to 52 months in federal prison. Chen's case is significant because it targets the international sellers of pill presses, not just the drugs themselves, a part of the illicit drug supply chain that often escapes accountability. Her employer and three of her colleagues have now been indicted in a related investigation. In a striking development, several major U.S. trade groups urged the U.S. government to add domestic platforms, including Meta, Amazon, and eBay, to the Notorious Markets List, traditionally reserved for the world’s worst counterfeit hotspots. Out of 77 submissions, at least six groups called for their inclusion. The message from brand owners is blunt: that the counterfeit crisis is not just offshore. It is happening at scale on American platforms that also claim to have the most sophisticated technology and resources in the world. If this pushes regulators toward stronger oversight and platform accountability, it could signal a major shift in U.S. illicit-trade policy. 

Senior Trade and Policy Analyst Piotr Stryszowski at the OECD published a piece this week in advance of the holidays called “The real cost of counterfeits is higher than you think,” about how the real cost of counterfeits isn’t just poor quality, but toxic materials and health consequences. OECD reports that counterfeit trade hit nearly $470 billion - that’s 2.3% of global trade. And it’s no longer just fake handbags. We’re talking auto parts, medicines, toys, even alcohol, products that can literally kill. The OECD says 65% of seizures continue to come from small parcels and mail. Now this data is from 2022, so we will see how the end of DeMinimis will impact this.   The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it is looking into seven incidents, including five fatalities, involving aftermarket air-bag parts that failed and ruptured during collisions. Federal regulators say they think the air bags in the incidents contain parts from a China-based company called Jilin Province Detiannuo Safety Technology, also known as DTN Airbag. Last year, NHTSA said it was aware of five incidents, including three fatalities, involving substandard air-bag inflators failing during a crash. Now the agency is connecting DTN to those incidents and the two additional fatalities—including a crash as recent as July. Air-bag replacements have been in focus since the 2014 recall of Takata air bags, which were linked to 28 deaths in the U.S. and tens of millions of vehicles recalled over the past decade.   France’s highest court reaffirmed Christian Louboutin’s trademark protection for their red sole on their shoes, and upheld a previous court decision of nearly a quarter million euros on a defendant who was found to have sold 12 pairs of counterfeit shoes and 628 handbags. The decision also reaffirmed the enforceability of Louboutin’s signature red-sole trademark under French law.   In the UK so far in 2025, Border Force authorities say they have seized a quarter million fake toys worth 3.5 million pounds. 90% of these were fake Labubu dolls. Testing conducted by authorities show that 3 in every 4 seized toys contain banned chemicals or choking hazards, despite being designed for toddlers and young children. Authorities say parents should prioritize safety, stick to trusted retailers and beware of unusually low-prices.   The European Union Intellectual Property Office announced that in 2024, authorities intercepted 112 million counterfeit goods valued at 3.8 billion euros, the second highest seizure year on record. The report has a breakdown of categories of contraband goods which is topped by fake CDs and DVDs. Italy, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, and Poland accounted for 90% of the volume of items detained. The top three countries of origin, in this order, are the United Arab Emirates, China, and Turkey. Sea cargo remains the primary mode of transport.   The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency made a huge bust in Northampton, which is northwest of London. The Criminal Enforcement Unit raided a facility that was manufacturing retatrutide, tirzepatide, and putting it into injector pens for shipment to customers. There was so much product I think it took them two days to log all the seized materials into inventory. At the time of the raid, they found current inventory of about 2,000 illegally manufactured pens waiting to be shipped worth about a quarter of a million pounds. Authorities say the facility it has been used for large scale illegal manufacturing for some time.   The Mexican pharmaceutical firm IFA Celtics, which makes a variety of pharmaceuticals for women’s health, mental health, and metabolic health has deployed ForgeStop’s NFC labels in their production line of medicines. This is probably the largest investment in anti-counterfeiting technology that a Mexican pharmaceutical firm has ever made. If you’ve ever tapped to pay with your phone or watch, you’ve used the NFC technology. You don’t need to download a new app. Anyone, from patients to pharmacists to the entire distribution chain can use these to verify authenticity of medicines. Additionally, these verifications get reported to ForgeStop who runs a global dashboard that brands can monitor. So if you’ve shipped a pallet of medicines to Mexico City and the verifications start popping up in the U.S., you’ve got a heads up on a diversion scheme. And since you probably know where you sold that pallet to, you know your suspects.

Nightline aired a special investigative report “The Dark Shot” on the rise in fake Ozempic with Special Agent Nicole Johnson of Homeland Security Investigations. The reporters found fake Ozempic with no prescription needed available online. They also went to the Port of Cincinnati where they watched them open some Spanish labeled Ozempic that’s not safe for Americans and unable to determine if its counterfeit or not. There was also an interview with legendary investigative reporter Katherine Eban, who chased down counterfeit Ozempic to its source for an earlier article in Vanity Fair. San Francisco local fashion brand Baggu created a custom line of hats and water bottles adorned with what looks like the Bay Area Rapid Transit systems logo to celebrate the launch of its new store at 888 Valencia St. There’s just one problem: the transit agency BART had no idea it was happening. The U.S. Department of Justice is dismantling OCDETF a key task force targeting major drug cartels, according to internal documents obtained by Reuters. DOJ says the move will streamline operations and save over $11 million, but critics warn it risks weakening core capabilities in prosecuting cartel activity.  “The Louisiana Department of Public Health (LDH) warned the public about counterfeit botox, and to avoid receiving injections from unlicensed sources and non-medical settings like med spas. Police in Los Angeles raided a warehouse tied to CoolKicks, a high-profile sneaker retailer, on Oct. 2 and arrested Co-founder Adeel Shams while he was live streaming an auction of sneakers.

In this episode, we cover: Fedex announced to analysts that the tariff chaos will hit their finances to a total tune of a billion dollars. $300mm of that is due to costs associated with clearing goods through customs, which has suddenly become infinitely more complex. Despite that, revenue they said will grow 4-6% this year, indicating that a massive fall off in shipping is not anticipated. For context, Fedex’s stock has declined 19% this year, which is a sign that the market really punished them for concerns about tariff impacts. A troubling development out of Belgium. Customs officials there say that major fashion brands, including Nike and Adidas, are allowing counterfeit goods into the country to avoid disposal costs. Faced bureaucracy and high costs, too many fakes are waved through, turning Belgium into a hub and leaving local law enforcement to clean up the mess. Two Chinese Nationals pled guilty to Fake Apple Device Return Fraud that Conned the Technology Giant Out of More Than $16 million in a case brought by the US Attorney Office of the Central District of California. This was a result of an investigation by Homeland Security and IRS investigators that unearthed that the charged (now convicted) individuals smuggled fake iPhones, iPads, and other devices into the United States, then brought them to Apple stores across Southern California. By claiming the devices were defective, they were able to get Apple employees to repair or replace them with genuine products.   Quick news hits: We found a tutorial from Steve Chou on how you can change elements in a product to avoid or minimize tariffs fascinating. The counterfeit Labubu scourge continues: CBP Seattle seizing fake Labubu dolls valued at over $500K and disguised as light bulbs at Seattle airport and the New York Times reports that Lafufus, Fake Labubu Dolls, Raise Safety Alarms and Spawn Raids. And a useful reader guide how to spot the fakes. The story behind the story. The real reason what StockX took such a new and proactive approach to combat counterfeit sneakers, as it was reported that Nike, StockX End Trademark Clash Over NFTs and Fake Shoes Walmart’s Marketplace boom: How lax vetting came with identity theft and fakes Fake weight-loss drug sales surge in Europe. Reported in Politico and CNBC Liberia to Launch Central Identification Registry to Combat Phone Theft and Counterfeits Consumers in South Africa are knowingly purchasing counterfeit alcohol, unaware of both the risks and the disappointment of not actually getting the complex product.

Show notes - Imitation Nation #18 In this episode, we cover: The International Trademark Association published a quick 14 page handout on making the case for Return on Investment for your company’s anticounterfeiting program. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) last week announced the seizure of 4.7 million units of unauthorized e-cigarette products with an estimated retail value of $86.5 million – the largest-ever seizure of this kind. The seizures were part of a joint federal operation in Chicago to examine incoming shipments and prevent illegal e-cigarettes from entering the country. And simultaneous enforcement actions across the U.S. The seizures, done in conjunction with the Food and Drug Administration, with enforcement actions carried out at five distributors and five retailers in North Carolina, Arizona, Illinois, New Jersey, Georgia and Florida, she said. Puma’s enormous legal victory in German court against a logistics provider for providing logistics for a counterfeiter. It’s a big case, but the key is that it creates new liability for logistics carriers that we didn’t think existed before. Quick news hits: 2,500 shipping containers seized by Greek law enforcement Temu Agrees to $2M Civil Penalty and Injunction for Alleged Violations of the INFORM Consumers Act Korean Intellectual Property Office boosts 2026 budget to enhance K-brand protection High-quality counterfeit  $CAD100 bills circulating in Simcoe County Canada, police warn. But Bank of Canada posted a full review of security features on YouTube, which could almost be seen as a how to guide for forgers.  DOJ and DHS Launch Cross-Agency Trade Fraud Task Force Fake Labubu dolls described as 'most dangerous counterfeit toys ever seized'

In this episode, we cover: Interview with Amazon CCU  Counterfeit Lamborghini Drinks  Researchers develop new sensor to ‘detect counterfeit medicine’  32,000 pounds of meat products recalled due to false USDA inspection marks.  Counterfeit perfume on Walmart’s platform. Attorney General Nessel Announces Felony Charges Following FORCE Team Counterfeit Product Seizures If you have a story you want us to cover, let us know in the comments on our linkedin page.

On this week’s episode of Imitation Nation, we discuss one of the biggest trade policy shifts in years: the end of De Minimis, which officially expired at midnight through an Executive Order. This sudden end to a decades old policy is sending ripple effects through supply chains, as freight companies, freight forwarders and Post Offices across the globe are temporarily suspending or stopping shipments to the United States. We explore what this seismic change means for global commerce and we highlight the positive outcomes for brand protection, brand owners, trademark holders and how this will likely provide lasting impacts on counterfeit enforcement. We also discuss the ripple effects across supply chains, and the strategic implications for professionals on the frontlines of IP enforcement. We also cover the sudden termination of the controversial Type 86 entry pilot program, which has resulted in the exponential growth in small parcel and De Minimis shipments. Beyond the headlines, we look at where counterfeiters may move next and why this shift, though disruptive, could ultimately create a stronger, more resilient landscape for legitimate commerce and be a game changer for Brand Protection.

In this episode of Imitation Nation, hosts Shabbir Imber Safdar and Sven Bergmann break down one of the biggest trade shifts of 2025: the imminent and likely permanent end of the de minimis. With more than 1.3 billion packages entering the U.S. last year under this exemption, it’s about to get a lot harder for counterfeit goods to hide in the pile. But what does this change mean for brands, shippers, consumers and law enforcement? We discuss what it is, why it’s ending, how it might make your online shopping a little more expensive and what this means to illicit trade and counterfeit. We are also covering a plethora of counterfeit stories from across the world in our lighting round, including: The conviction of a man in Liverpool to 28 months in prison for selling £650,000 in fake postage stamps. Formula One cracks down on counterfeits at Vegas GP, suing souvenir shops for selling knockoff merch. Europol seizes a massive shipment of counterfeit currency—$76 million worth of fake dollars, euros, and pounds. BMW adds new security features to protect auto parts, and Mercedes is stepping up its anti-counterfeit fight too. U.S. regulators warn about fake Labubu dolls breaking apart and becoming a choking hazard. Seagate busts a counterfeiting ring in Malaysia that was flipping old hard drives as “new.”    

This White House has made big changes to De Minimis: For a look at the scale of packages, check out this CBS News piece. We cover the impact on counterfeit medicines, especially fake fentanyl pills, and techniques that companies might start to use to circumvent tariff uncertainty. The Trump trademark owners have complained about ecommerce platforms selling counterfeit versions of Trump-branded products and filed litigation. We also talk about a machine that makes counterfeit pills, the pill press, and a recent report the Partnership for Safe Medicines published about illegal pill presses. And there’s a lot of shout out stories this week we don’t have time to go into fully: Counterfeit Labubu toys $3.5mm seized in Port of Cincinnatti Fentanyl analogues finally got scheduled after 6 years of work Brandy Melville sues Temu after suing Shein Really good looking fake $100’s Amazon’s counterfeit crimes unit is claiming they’ve secured $180mm in penalties and 65 criminal convictions.

Operation Pangea 17 from Interpol was released. See this fancy graphic. Sven looked back at the previous 10 years of Operation Pangea and these results are record breaking by any measure. 50.4 million doses of illicit pharmaceuticals worth USD 65 million. The largest operation to date had been $11 million in illicit medicines. Arrest of 769 suspects and the dismantling of 123 criminal groups worldwide. In total, law enforcement agencies worldwide launched 1,728 investigations and issued 847 search warrants targeting criminal networks engaged in the illicit distribution of pharmaceutical products. 93 per cent of the illicit pharmaceuticals seized lacked regulatory approvals from national health authorities.   This trend is being driven by the widespread promotion and availability of these medicines across social media and online marketplaces, creating lucrative and relatively low-risk opportunities for criminal networks selling low-quality or counterfeit products. Lululemon is suing Costco over design patent infringement of several of their clothing products. While you could read the suit yourself, we recommend this video from fashion designer Joe Ng that explains the types of patents you can have, and how trade dress works. Joe Ng says the craftsmanship is not as good on the Costco product. China is now entering the world of IP protection because their brands are fighting off fakes. China has brands and now Intellectual Property to protect! Phones by Huawei, Drones by DJI, My favorite portable batteries from Anker, and New electric cars from BYD. According to the OECD, China remains the source of most counterfeits in the world, so this could be a very topsy turvy time. Our bottom line is that there’s never bad news in adding a new ally country to the world of brand protection. Quick news hits: 9 great documentaries on counterfeits and illegal trade from Factual America Issues in the fake wine world in Bill Koch’s cellar Chinese controlled counterfeit gang busted.

Tom’s hardware review ran an article this week about a chinese pc repair shop that received four of these, and upon closer examination, three of them were fake and unrepairable and unusable. They had modified older cards and in some cases attached other parts to give the appearance of the 4090 unit but the fake one was still inoperable which you would have discovered the moment you plugged it in. StockX has reported it rejected nearly $10 million worth of counterfeit sneakers last year as part of a comprehensive report outlining its efforts on verification, fraud prevention and anti-counterfeiting in 2024. The resale platform's "Brand Protection and Consumer Trust" report consists of 19 pages detailing the measures it takes to ensure it delivers authentic product to consumers. Over the course of 2024, StockX rejected more than 30,000 sneakers alone suspected of being counterfeit. Suspected fakes are the second most common reason for products being rejected, accounting for 22 percent of total products rejected. 32 percent of items were rejected for defects, while 12 percent were found to be used and another 7 percent came in a damaged box. We are following this new case of Audi AG v. CarParts.com, Inc., 1:25-cv-04940 (S.D.N.Y.), in which Audi asserts that CarParts.com is selling copies of their goods using their trademarks, including proprietary OEM numbers. We think it’s also interesting that the EU Court of Justice also found that selling grills without the Audi logo, but that have a cutout that fits the logo, is also trademark infringement. Quick news hits: Another fake money scheme in Florida, where four men obtained $100 fake bills made by bleaching $10 bills and printing the $100 bill over the same material. You could still see Hamilton’s face in the watermark, which tipped off a grocery cashier. Labubu dolls are a hot item, which means counterfeits are being made and China just shut down a factory making them. As a response the other factories making fakes appear to have shut down operations and gone dark to avoid getting caught. Back on the fake stamps beat, the US Postal Service filed and obtained a temporary restraining order against two shipping companies New York and Los Angeles who are accused of using fake USPS shipping labels to ship merchandise for Chinese customers through the US Postal service…for years.

PSM did a video story on the Heal The World civil suit from Gilead Sciences, accusing the pharmacy in NYC of trafficking in counterfeit HIV medicine. We discuss the massive four-continent bust that Europol coordinated of dark web sellers of counterfeit controlled substances as part of Operation RapTor. We also discuss CBP’s enormous seizure of counterfeit Apple chargers. We think it must have been an entire container’s worth of fake chargers, given descriptions of the quantity. There was a bust in Michigan of someone holding $100,000 of counterfeit currency. From the slightly low res photo, it looks like it was $100 bills. The tip from it came when the accused criminal bought a drone from someone for $800 using the fake currency, and when the seller realized the money was fake he reported it. But there are also stories in the news about fake currency in Canada, India, Arkansas, and Georgia. The canadian fake is actually not a bill, but a fake two dollar coin. A new portable device detects counterfeit Viagra in seconds. No special training is required to operate the device developed by researchers at the University of Lausanne, and the drug does not need to be destroyed for analysis. The device is shaped like a pen. The pen is used to scan the surface of tablets. The data is analyzed using artificial intelligence. This enables the device to determine with 100 percent accuracy whether it is an original preparation or a counterfeit.

PSM released a report this week on fishy freight shipments of medicine into the country, using data we pulled from the FDA’s medical freight shipments database. We are finding two kinds of fraud here. First, we’re seeing shipping manifests where the manufacturer listed on the report is not an FDA-registered entity, which means it’s been made in a facility never inspected by the FDA. Which means it’s illegal to enter the country.   Second is that we’re seeing people misdeclare the product code on an item to evade interdiction.  We found two Schedule 1 controlled substances, mescaline and LSD, coded as anti-depressants and antibiotics. The codes said antidepressant, but the description in text said LSD.  I’m guessing they just have machine scanning of codes and are not even looking at the text. Third, a Florida district judge has granted Nike a partial win in a legal battle with a social media influencer, finding that he had infringed the sportswear giant’s trademarks through selling counterfeit goods. Social media influencer Eben Fox, who posts under the name Cedaz, had amassed more than a million followers online posting regular content about counterfeits, which Fox also refers to as “reps”, “replicas”, or “fakes”.  The Judge found that it was “undisputed” that Fox sold counterfeit Nike goods in connection with the popular mobile phone payment app CashApp, and that Fox posted counterfeit Nike shoes for sale on the social media platform Discord.   We’re seeing a lot of really weird things springing up around the trade war and what Shabbir is seeing in online discussions is wild, like customs agents talking about a spike in country of origin fraud combined with transhipping. Sven is noticing that there’s a big spike in demand for bonded warehouses, so people managing cross border inventory have a place to stage goods until there’s a break in tariffs. [Story1, Story2] Sven’s also noticing manufacturers pitching cheaper versions of high end goods at a discount because it doesn’t have the logo on it.

The end of de minimis started on Friday May 2nd. That affects 1.36bn packages that enter the country every year. This change will affect both consumers that buy cheap products from China but also businesses in the U.S. that source their products or parts from China. We’re expecting a rise in the technique of trans-shipping to evade the end of Chinese de minimis packages.   The US Trade Representative released the 2025 “Special 301 Report” on Intellectual Property Protection and Enforcement. There are eight countries on the Priority Watch List: Argentina, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, and Venezuela, and eighteen on the Watch list: Algeria, Barbados, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Guatemala, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Türkiye, and Vietnam.   Issues with countries cited in the report include poor enforcement of local counterfeit manufacturing, piracy of intellectual property, bad faith trademark enforcement, and poor enforcement of trade secrets, copyright law, and patent infringement.   We’re also tracking this dispute, which is both a federal criminal case and a state attorney general case over where body armor plates, designed to protect law enforcement were made. The vendor in question is accused of using Chinese-made products and claiming they were made in the U.S. The DOJ also stated that these body armor plates failed testing, which is a catastrophic consequence for something like body armor. According to the DOJ, Customs and Border Protection detected these packages during an inspection inside a larger freight shipment in a truck crossing the border from Canada to the U.S.

AI being used to do fraud at scale, including a report from Europol, and a report from Food and Beverage Magazine. Also, AI is being used to generate patent applications, which is probably going to bury a lesser-staffed USPTO.   Shabbir talked about the Amazon Brand Protection Report, which makes him want legislation to ensure all marketplaces work hard to avoid counterfeit products. Shein’s troubles trying (or not trying) to rid their platform of counterfeit Coach bags is worth a listen.   Finally we talk about the same problems in Europe, where it’s estimated that 85% of products from low cost online platforms are counterfeit, and their de minimis problem is three times as big as the United States at 4.6bn packages a year.   Sven would like you to take a moment and appreciate the Plagarius Awards, given to best counterfeit products found online each year.

In this episode, Shabbir and Sven talk about… Counterfeit forever stamps. Shabbir bought stamps that are too cheap to be true and is sending three letters to Sven, two with fake stamps and one with a real one, to see if they arrive. Remember, the US Postal Inspectors would like you to report fake stamps here: https://www.uspis.gov/report Counterfeit airbags. We discuss Michigan’s one-of-a-kind auto fraud task force, and their work to fight counterfeit air bags and other fake auto parts. Learn more here: https://www.autobodynews.com/news/michigan-man-charged-with-selling-counterfeit-airbags More disturbingly is the fact that there may be 81,000 fake air bags floating around in cars: https://www.mlive.com/news/2025/04/michigan-man-allegedly-sold-counterfeit-air-bags-81k-vehicles-may...

Go now and donate to support Sven's Police Unity Tour 400 mile ride.     A pharmacy ordered Ozempic from a distributor out of Florida and dispensed it to a patient. It was one of those dial a dose pens and the dial didn’t match their prescription. They brought it back to the pharmacy, who correctly quarantined it and called the Board of Pharmacy.  And this is the best part: The BOP investigator came over, pulled out his phone and the new magic decoder ring called PULSE that checks the serial numbers, and it was identified as FAKE almost immediately. --- CBP has seized 360,000 fake forever stamps in two separate seizures in Birmingham, AL and Chicago, IL. CBP Birmingham CBP Chicago --- In January, the Department of Transportation issued an alert about the massive growth in counterfeit car parts, including fake airbags. They said that in 2024 alone they’d seized over 200,000 fake parts, almost double what they seized in 2023.  The most disturbing area is fake airbags. 490 were seized entering the country in 2024, and that’s 10x growth in fakes from 2023. And the crime here is in full swing: Homeland Security Investigations say they have 40 open investigations, right now, into fake auto parts. --- Go now and donate to support Sven's Police Unity Tour 400 mile ride.

Sven and Shabbir discuss three big stories of the wee: Reuters story on the Brazilian coffee industry’s concerns with products that have Brazil in the name of the product, but don’t contain Brazilian sourced coffee beans.  A case, investigated by Homeland Security Investigation, and prosecuted by The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois in East St. Louis IL of a woman who plead guilty to selling counterfeit designer goods and cosmetics.  The NYPD just busted not the street vendors, but one of the warehouses that supplies the street vendors. They said in just the three room apartment they seized they found over $40 million dollars worth of counterfeit handbags, sunglasses, Apple products, etc.

Since clothing is not a regulated product like medicine, people who want to make cheap knock offs have a lot more ability to infringe on the original design by making a few changes. What we haven’t talked about is the fact that the US has a policy of not allowing clothing made with cotton that used slave labor, which is a problem in the Chinese textile industry. Listen to learn more about how counterfeiters exploit import loopholes, and all of the other knockoff news this week.

This week on Imitation Nation, Shabbir and Sven will tackle the case of "DrXanax" a Canadian national who was just sentenced to 30 years in the U.S. They also cover the indictment of a New York aesthetician who allegedly posed as a medical professional while injecting clients with counterfeit Botox. Lastly they describe a Port of Long Beach smuggling operation that sounds like the script of a Quentin Tarantino movie. Show notes: Arden McCann prosecution   Documents: Indictment (2020), Guilty plea (2023), Sentencing memo (2024)   Learn more about OCDETF and the lengths they have gone to prosecute Canadian fake pill sellers in our five part video series about their earlier prosecution, Operation Denial.   Learn about the man that American authorities think is the notorious Canadian fake Xanax dealer called AlpraKing. US authorities think it’s Canadian Alexander Beaudry, and are working on his extradition.   New York Fake Botox indictment   PSM coverage of the fake Botox outbreak of 2024   Joey Grant Luther Criminal Complaint [PDF]   FDA alert for fake Botox found in the U.S.   CDC MMWR article about patient harm during this outbreak   Long Beach Smuggling operation   Indictment (2024)

Sven and Shabbir discuss the biggest stories in counterfeits for the last two weeks. Walmart.com "Birkin Bag" controversy Yahoo! News Columbia Journal for Law and the Arts The U.S. Trade Representative's Notorious Markets Report See the press release and the full report. Xiaofei "Sophie" Chen arrest and prosecution PSM copy of the criminal complaint Sven and Shabbir make their predictions for big developments in counterfeiting and counterfeit prosecutions for 2025    

This week, Shabbir Safdar and Sven Bergmann cover the arrest of a Houston, Texas woman accused of posing as a medical professional and injecting fake lip fillers, a woman in Medina, Tennessee busted selling research-only compounds as weight loss injections, and an update on the lawsuit filed by grieving families against Snapchat. Listen now.

This week, Shabbir Safdar and Sven Bergmann cover an $18 million dollar counterfeit Gibson guitar seizure in Long Beach, the resolution of a longstanding counterfeit HIV drug case, counterfeit bourbon, and a live  DSCSA demo that happened at the American Society for Pharmacy Law conference. Listen now.