Dozens of counterfeit luxury watches with a suggested retail value of about $1.3 million have been seized in the past two months at Los Angeles International Airport, authorities said Friday.
The 41 watches were imported from China over a five-week period in April and May. They arrived in individual packages via air cargo bound for destinations across the United States, according to US Customs and Border Patrol officials.
“In an attempt to evade detection by CBP officers, the watches were declared as ‘Bracelet,’ ‘Belt,’ ‘Decoration,’ ‘Clock Case,’ and ‘Wall Clock,’ the CBP spokesperson said. , Jamie Ruiz.
The Consumer Products & Mass Merchandising Center said the watches infringed on the following trademarks.
- Rolex (37 pieces)
- Panerai Luminor (one piece)
- Patek Philippe (one piece)
- Audemars Piguet (one piece)
- Omega (one piece)
“There are thousands of private sellers, collectors and other non-legitimate sources offering luxury watches on e-commerce platforms, making it extremely difficult for consumers to spot these fakes,” said Carlos C. Martel, Director of Field Operations CBP in Los Angeles. “Consumers should know that buying fake watches is never a good idea, don’t waste your money. Counterfeit watches are made with cheap metals that can cause allergic skin reactions and are likely to break as they lack the craftsmanship and the quality of the authentic ones”.
Counterfeit watches on illegitimate websites could expose consumers to Internet security risks, from malware or ransomware to compromising personal data and financial information shared during purchase, Martel said.
