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.
He explained that while the counterfeit items imitated the appearance, design and registered trademarks of genuine products, there were noticeable differences in the packaging and texts printed on the bottles, which were of relatively lower quality.
Liu warned that since the seized products were intended for direct use on the skin, their lack of quality assurance raised health and safety concerns. He added that samples would be taken to a government laboratory for testing.
The inspector reminded consumers to purchase goods at reputable shops or online stores and to avoid making purchases from suspicious outlets.
“Customers should check with the trademark owners or their authorised agents if the authenticity of a product is in doubt,” he said.
Investigations into the source of the seized goods are still ongoing and further arrests are possible.
Liu said customs would continue to make use of a big-data analytics system to conduct risk assessments and crack down on online sales of counterfeit products.
Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, selling or possessing for sale any product with a forged trademark is punishable by up to five years in prison and a HK$500,000 fine.
