The number of counterfeit stamps being sold online is escalating, postal officials said Wednesday. Scammers are peddling them on social media, through e-commerce and third-party vendors. The fake stamps are easier to print.
Counterfeit online free
The Free Press followed up with a call and email seeking clarification, and inspectors responded with a longer, but also vague email: "The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is actively working to identify shipments of counterfeit postage stamps entering the U.S. and the online sales of suspected counterfeit stamps."
It's illegal to knowingly send mail with counterfeit stamps, but it's not entirely clear how aggressively the postal service checks for fake stamps given the volume of mail and that older stamps that evade counterfeit countermeasures are still in use. If the postal service does detect bogus stamps, it may return the mail to sender or turn it over to the postal inspection service.
When the Philadelphian tried to report it to the social media network, he was told "the online seller did not violate its rules." It wasn't until the Inquirer asked about his case that Facebook removed the advertiser and the man got a refund.
StockX, in a response to Nike's allegations, defended its anti-counterfeiting measures and said Nike itself had previously praised them, according to a draft of a court filing seen by CNBC. The response is set to be filed in U.S. District Court in New York City on Monday.
The legal battle between Nike and StockX started over non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, which are unique digital assets that consumers can buy and sell. Nike sued StockX in February, saying the online marketplace's NFTs of Nike shoes infringed on trademarks and could confuse customers. Nike, which had been preparing for its entry into the so-called metaverse for several months, started selling its own NFTs earlier this year, reaping huge sums.
Nike, which has been beefing up its own online business, added to its lawsuit last month, saying in an amended complaint that it was able to purchase four pairs of counterfeit shoes from StockX that were verified as authentic. One of the pairs matched a StockX NFT, Nike claimed.
Nike said in its amended complaint that it obtained the dubious shoes through StockX from December through the beginning of February, just before it filed its initial lawsuit against the company. In its draft filing, StockX questioned why Nike waited until May to include its claims about the counterfeit sneakers.
"Nike's recent allegations lack merit, demonstrate a lack of understanding of the modern marketplace, and display anticompetitive behavior that will stifle the secondary market and hurt consumers," StockX CEO Scott Cutler said in a statement. "We look forward to defending our reputation and understanding why Nike, which once sought to collaborate in combatting counterfeits, now seeks to undermine StockX's business model."
StockX, which promises "Guaranteed Authenticity," says it's different from other resale sites because all the products on its marketplace are physically inspected and authenticated before being delivered to buyers. The company has been valued at $3.8 billion and has several authentication sites across the globe. It claims in its draft response that its authenticators have inspected more than 30 million products and prevented $60 million worth of counterfeit sneakers from getting to buyers.
StockX did, however, acknowledge the possibility that counterfeit products could slip past its vetting process. In its filing, the company noted its refund policy "for the rare case where a counterfeit product might find its way into a consumer's hands."
Fraud is an act of deceiving or misrepresenting by presenting an intentional perversion of the truth intended to induce a person to part with something of value, usually money. While fraud can occur without the presence of counterfeit products, counterfeiting itself is a form of fraud.
To counterfeit means to illegally imitate an item or good. Counterfeit products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior value of the imitated product. In our case, customers might encounter goods that visibly appear to be authentic MAC Cosmetics products but lack the superior quality, research and development time invested in all of our products.
MAC Cosmetics does not offer its products through individuals, street vendors, flea markets, internet auctions, independent boutiques or unauthorized online retailers. MAC does not sell its products at wholesale over the internet.
To report counterfeits, please call 1.800.387.6707, option 8 or email consumercare-us@gcc.maccosmetics.com. The following information is helpful to us when trying to take action against a counterfeiter:
Traditionally, counterfeit deterrent features restricted counterfeiting to only the dedicated craftsman. With the advent of highly sophisticated reprographic systems, this is no longer true. Redesign of U.S. banknotes is necessary in order to incorporate additional features aimed at discouraging counterfeiting using advanced copiers-scanners-printers. This volume evaluates a large number of such features while recommending a comprehensive national strategy for anticipating and responding to counterfeiting threats.
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There are many counterfeit products in the marketplace. Bose is aware of sales of counterfeits of most types of Bose headphones and wearable audio products, including Bose Frames, Bose Sport Earbuds, QuietComfort Earbuds, QuietComfort 35, 25, 20/20i, 3, and 15, QuietControl 30, SoundLink, SoundSport (all types), SoundWear Companion, Sleepbuds, SoundTrue, SoundTrue Ultra, FreeStyle, IE2, MIE2/MIE2i, SIE2/SIE2i, OE2/OE2i, AE2/AE2i, and Bluetooth headsets. Wireless speakers are also often counterfeited, including SoundLink III, II, Mini, Color, Micro, Revolve, and Revolve+. Typically, these products are sold at lower prices than those offered by Bose and its authorized dealers, but the prices are often not low enough to cause buyers to suspect that the products are counterfeit.
In many cases, the counterfeit products and their packaging are extremely close in appearance to genuine Bose products, but they do not meet the high standards of performance found in genuine Bose products. Counterfeiters go to great lengths to make their products look like genuine products. They include warranty registration cards in the packaging, and apply serial numbers to the products that copy genuine Bose serial numbers to make them look authentic. It is extremely difficult to distinguish fake products from the real ones.
If you believe that you may have purchased counterfeit Bose products, we encourage you to contact Report_Counterfeits@bose.com so that we may be able to assist you in determining whether the product is counterfeit.
Illicit sellers can buy fake goods from the manufacturer or go on wholesale sites to purchase the goods. They then sell them online directly to consumers (on e-commerce sites, social media, and other digital channels) or on auction sites.
It is easy to set up stores or create listings on various platforms. Then, illegitimate sellers use marketing tools and best practices for online sales just like legitimate sellers, through paid search ads, SEO (search engine optimization), and more. They can even bid up paid search advertising and drive costs up for brand owners.
They may look like the real deal, but when you apply them to your face, they can cause infections and rashes. Another example involves counterfeit automotive parts, such as fake airbags, that pose a threat to the safety of passengers.
These consequences result in a negative impact on brands. Since many consumers are unaware that the product they bought online is a fake one, when it does not work as it should or does not meet their expectations, they connect your brand with the lower quality.
The poor experience results in the brand dealing with more customer service and warranty issues. Even when consumers are aware that they had bought a fake, often the availability of fakes erodes brand reputation. Inevitably, counterfeits lead to loss of customer trust and loyalty.
Free-riding on your R&D or product development, marketing efforts, and reputation, counterfeiters introduce not only illegal but unfair competition. Offering similar- or identical-looking items for a fraction of the original price eventually hurts sales and may drive prices down.
Counterfeiters operate across many online channels. Brands must review and analyze every sales and distribution channel. Social media, for example, increasingly enables in-app shopping and should be examined closely to understand the scope of the counterfeiting problem.
Brands must also be on the lookout for marketing and promotion efforts. In the online world, illicit sellers can use the same promotion practices as legitimate sellers. Savvy counterfeiters use effective practices: paid search advertising, links on social media, SEO and more.
Registered IP rights, such as trademarks, copyrights, and patents, are a prerequisite to enforcement. For example, registration is crucial for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seizures of counterfeits.
Brands also need protection in countries where counterfeit goods are often produced, particularly China. Registering a trademark as early as possible is the best way to protect your intellectual property in China. 2ff7e9595c
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