Latest News and Blog Updates

Bristol Shop Owner Sold More Than 1,600 Fake T-shirts Online

Posted by admin In Counterfeit Clothing and Merchandise 0 comment

This successful prosecution followed a covert operation by Surelock, working on behalf of TRAP (Trade Mark and Rights holders Against Piracy). We identified eBay sites, made test purchases of our clients’ counterfeit merchandise, then worked in association with South Gloucestershire Trading Standards to identify the offenders and raid the premises.

A Wickwar man has been given a three-month curfew and ordered to repay nearly £25,000 after being found guilty of selling hundreds of counterfeit music T-shirts online.

Andrew Minter, 55, of High Street, sold over 1,600 shirts emblazoned with the logos of popular bands including Motorhead, the Ramones and Blur.

14198752-large — RePsycho in Gloucester Road

Minter made £17,000 over four years of trading the fake goods on auction site eBay.

His activities came to light after a brand investigator discovered him trading online and made several test purchases, all of which turned out to be counterfeit. The investigation was then taken over by South Gloucestershire Council Trading Standards.

Officers executed a warrant on April 17, 2015 at Minter’s home address in Wickwar and also at his business premises on Gloucester Road, Bristol, which resulted in a quantity of business documentation and counterfeit clothing being detained.

Investigations of his eBay and Paypal accounts found he had sold 1,608 fake T-shirts, for between £10 and £12 each, for four years to people in Australia, Russia and the USA as well as in the UK.

Minter pleaded guilty at an earlier court hearing to two charges under the Trade Marks Act 1994 and was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday (May 5).

He was ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and was given a three month curfew order.

He was also ordered to pay full prosecution costs of £6,299.07 and to repay the benefit made from the crime to the tune of £24,729.72. The amount must be paid within three months or he will serve nine months in prison.

In interview Minter claimed that he had bought the counterfeit t-shirts from an unidentified man who came to his shop in 2011. He said he continued to purchase several more consignments from the man and always paid him in cash.

In court, Judge Martin Picton agreed the t-shirt sales did not constitute a large scale operation, but they did constitute a significant number of items and sales which continued over a four-year period. He also ordered that all counterfeit stock that was seized by Trading Standards be forfeited.

Neil Derrick, senior Fair Trade officer for South Gloucestershire Council Trading Standards, said: “We welcome today’s sentence.

“The biggest penalty for Mr Minter is that he has to pay back nearly £25,000 or face imprisonment.

“Traders must be very careful about buying branded stock from unidentified sellers for cash, as counterfeiting is big business, but it is also a crime.”

Anyone wishing to report sales of counterfeit goods can do so in strictest confidence by calling the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 03454 040506.

Full story:

http://www.gazetteseries.co.uk/news/yateandsodburynews/14476270.Wickwar_man_ordered_to_repay___25_000_after_selling_fake_rock_band_T_shirts

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Owner-Bristol-shop-sold-1-600-fake-t-shirts/story-29233995-detail/story.html

Surelock is now a Buy With Confidence member

Posted by admin In buy with confidence 0 comment

We feel congratulations are indeed in order!

Surelock is now a “Buy With Confidence” member and approved by Trading Standards.

Our business is now part of an elite group which means we are

Vetted and approved by Trading Standards

Committed to operating in a legal, honest and fair way

Criminal record checked

Qualified, experienced and fully insured

Monitored to ensure a high level of customer service

Advised on Trading Standards legislation

Find out more about this scheme https://www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk/about-the-scheme/

We are excited that our customers can provide feedback on services and look forward to providing a service to new and loyal customers looking for private investigators and security consultants whose services they can trust and buy with confidence.

We are honoured to be a member of such an elite group and are proud of our new ‘Trading Standards approved’ status.

Revealed: Huge Haul of Fake 1D Garments Sold by Plymouth Gang

Posted by admin In Counterfeit Clothing and Merchandise 0 comment

This successful prosecution followed a covert operation by Surelock, working on behalf of TRAP (Trade Mark and Rights Holders Against Piracy) identifying eBay sites and making test purchases of our clients’ counterfeit merchandise, then working with Plymouth Trading Standards to identify the offenders and raid the premises

14143379-large — In the foreground is part of the haul of fake goods sold by the gang

This is just a fraction of the thousands of fake garments including One Direction tops offered for sale to unsuspecting customers over eBay.
Trading standards seized the haul and a specialist printer from a Plymouth shop.
But thousands of shirts and hooded tops, mostly bearing counterfeit logos for the boy band, had already been sold over the previous three years.
Defendants Kenneth Colley, aged 43, Jason Ross, aged 45, and Anna Strzelecka, aged 40, and now deceased ringleader Trevor Brice made an estimated £140,000, Plymouth Crown Court heard.
Judge Ian Lawrie handed the trio suspended prison sentences with unpaid work.
He said: “I take the view that Mr Brice was the brains behind this operation. He was the one who thought of it and got it started.
“He went to his friends for help and support. You all played a central role in a large operation.”
Judge Lawrie had earlier admitted to the court that he had not heard of One Direction, the world’s biggest boy band.
He added that he preferred the classical composer Bach.
But the case was not stopped or delayed because of that, as reported by some media outlets.

Julia Cox, prosecuting for Plymouth City Council, said that just under £140,000 went through the gang’s eBay accounts to be transferred into their own accounts from 2009 until 2012.
She added that test purchasers acting for One Direction bought some of the items in May 2012 and discovered them to be fake.
Trading standards then started watching a shop unit in Embankment Road linked to one of the defendants.
Miss Cox said officers raided the address and seized specialist computing equipment and a printing press.
She added that another man called Trevor Brice was arrested alongside the defendants but died before he was prosecuted.
Miss Cox said that One Direction tops and T-shirts were sold at a price of £19.99. Boy London garments were also sold.
The exact number of fake goods sold in court was not revealed in court.
Colley admitted he had even been to India to source material.
Ali Rafati, for Colley, said he was on benefits and the sole carer of a ten-year-old child.
Colley had told the court that he allowed Brice to use his accounts for money and did not realise the scale of the operation.
Nick Lewin, for Ross, added that the garments were of good quality and eBay was full of messages from grateful customers.
He added that he was involved in the long conspiracy for only six months.
Michael Green, for Strzelecka, said her main role was to allow the use of her eBay account.
He added she was the mother to Colley’s young child.
Judge Lawrie said: “I am confident that these defendants are unlikely to come before these courts again.”
Colley and Strzelecka were both handed 16-month prison sentences, suspended for two years, with 150 hours unpaid work.
Ross was given an eight-month prison sentence suspended for the same period. He must do 75 hours unpaid work.
Colley, of Risdon Avenue, Prince Rock, and Strzelecka, of nearby Embankment Road, pleaded guilty to selling goods bearing false trademarks between July 2009 and July 2012.
Colley alone admitted possession of goods bearing false trademarks for sale. He also pleaded guilty to applying false trademarks to goods.

Colley printer — The specialist printer used by the gang to fake goods in a Plymouth shop

He also admitted possession of the printing unit specifically designed to label clothing with a copy of a registered trademark.
Colley, Strzelecka, and Ross, of Penmere Drive, Newquay, all pleaded guilty to possession, conversion or transfer of criminal property, namely the proceeds from selling the fakes.
All three now face further hearings under the Proceeds of Crime Act to recover their profits from the illegal operation.
Alex Fry, Trading Standards Manager, Plymouth City Council said after the case: “Genuine businesses including local shops are unable to compete with sellers of fake goods so we urge consumers not to buy counterfeit goods.
“While it is tempting to buy cheap products, consumers are actually being ripped off and need to be aware of the consequences of piracy and counterfeit goods. Many counterfeit goods are potentially dangerous to consumers such as electrical equipment, toys, personal care products and medicines.

http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Revealed-huge-haul-fake-Direction-garments-sold/story-29186828-detail/story.html

Urgent Alert: Online Extortion Demand Affecting UK Businesses

Posted by admin In Fraud 0 comment

Issued by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB)

ALERT:

Within the past 24 hours a number of businesses throughout the UK have received extortion demands from a group
calling themselves ‘Lizard Squad’.
Method of Attack:
The group have sent emails demanding payment of 5 Bitcoins, to be paid by a certain time and date. The email states
that this demand will increase by 5 Bitcoins for each day that it goes unpaid.

If their demand is not met, they have threatened to launch a Denial of Service attack against the businesses’
websites and networks, taking them offline until payment is made.

The demand states that once their actions have started, they cannot be undone.

PROTECTION/PREVENTION ADVICE:

What to do if you’ve received one of these demands:

Report it to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or by using the online reporting tool.
Do not pay the demand.
Retain the original emails (with headers).
Maintain a timeline of the attack, recording all times, type and content of the contact.

If you are experiencing a DDoS right now you should:

Report it to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 immediately.
Call your Internet Service Provider (ISP) (or hosting provider if you do not host your own Web server), tell them you are under attack and ask for help.
Keep a timeline of events and save server logs, web logs, email logs, any packet capture, network graphs, reports etc.

Get Safe Online top tips for protecting your business from a DDoS:

Consider the likelihood and risks to your organisation of a DDoS attack, and put appropriate threat reduction/mitigation measures in place.
If you consider that protection is necessary, speak to a DDoS prevention specialist.
Whether you are at risk of a DDoS attack or not, you should have the hosting facilities in place to handle large, unexpected volumes of website hits.

FEEDBACK:

The NFIB needs feedback from our readers to evaluate the quality of our products and to inform our priorities.
Please would you complete the following NFIB feedback survey through:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FeedbackSDU. This should take you no more than 2 minutes to complete. If you have other feedback or additional information that you would prefer to provide by email please send to:
[email protected].

For the full Alert from the NFIB: ransom_demand_email_alert

The Dangers of Fake Alcohol

Posted by admin In Counterfeit Clothing and Merchandise 0 comment

Producing fake alcohol is being seen as a way of making money and it can be bought cheaply. However it’s a big problem because of the risks it poses to people’s health, it can cause anything from nausea to blindness and even death.

What is fake alcohol?

Fake or illegally produced alcohol is alcohol that is produced in unlicensed distilleries or people’s homes and intended for sale. It is illegal to distill and sell alcohol to the public in the UK without a licence from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)¹.

The sale of illegal alcohol costs the UK around £1.2 billion per year². Much of the fake or illegally produced alcohol contains potentially dangerous chemicals.

“We’re very concerned about this trend in the availability of fake alcohol,” says Ron Gainsford, Chief Executive of the Trading Standards Institute. “It’s not just about false bargains, counterfeit spirits and wine could be lethal.”

Health risks from fake alcohol

Properly produced and certified alcoholic drinks are made with ethanol – alcohol that’s safe to drink in moderation. But fake alcoholic drinks can be produced using other cheaper types of alcohol which can have serious adverse effects on your health.

Drinkaware’s Chief Medical Advisor Professor Paul Wallace explains: “Commonly used substitutes for ethanol include chemicals used in cleaning fluids, nail polish remover and automobile screen wash, as well as methanol and isopropanol which are used in antifreeze and some fuels. These other types of alcohol can produce similar effects to ethanol in terms of making you feel tipsy. But they are also potentially very dangerous.”
Drinking alcohol containing these chemicals can cause nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, drowsiness and dizziness. It can also lead to kidney or liver problems and even coma. Methanol, a substance which can be used in fake vodka, may cause permanent blindness.

Find out how alcohol can affect your body here…“Drinking illegally produced alcohol should be avoided at all costs,” says Dr Wallace. “You don’t know what’s in it in terms of the actual chemicals – and you don’t know the strength of what you’re drinking because it’s not been produced to the standards of commercial alcohol.”

How to recognise fake alcohol

Jeremy Beadles, former Chief Executive of the Wine and Spirits Trade Association, believes most consumers won’t come across fake alcohol and says that it’s important to keep the problem in perspective. “The vast majority of alcohol in the UK is produced and sold legitimately,” he says. “Most pubs, corner shops, off licenses and other retailers are completely legitimate businesses and wouldn’t get involved with it.”
However, it’s important to know how to spot—and avoid—fake alcohol if you do come across it.

According to the Trading Standards Institute, people need to remember ‘the 4 Ps’: Place, Price, Packaging and Product.

Place: Make sure you buy from a reputable supermarket, off licence or shop.

Price: If a deal looks too good to be true, it most probably is.

Packaging: Look out for:

Poor quality labelling, including things like spelling mistakes.
UK duty stamp—spirits in bottles 35cl or larger and 30% ABV or higher have to have a duty stamp, which indicates that tax has either been paid or is due to be paid on the contents of the bottle. They’re usually incorporated into the label or stuck on the glass. If it’s not there, it’s illegal
Properly sealed caps. If the seal is broken, don’t drink it. Even if it’s not illegal, it could have been tampered with.
Fake bar codes. If you have an app on your mobile that scans bar codes, scan it and see if it’s listed as the correct product.

Product: Look out for fake versions of well-known brands and be wary of unusual brand names you haven’t seen before. Vodka, the most commonly counterfeited spirit, shouldn’t have any white particles or sediment in the bottle. If you see this, the vodka could have been diluted with tap water. If any alcohol tastes or smells bad, don’t drink it. Particularly look out for the smell of nail varnish.

What to do if you spot fake alcohol

If you think you’ve drunk fake alcohol, the best thing to do is to seek medical advice. You can also report it to your local environmental health officer, call Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 03454 04 05 06 or the Customs Hotline on 0800 59 5000.

References-

_{(1) HM Revenue and Customs website. Excise Notice 39: spirits production in the UK}

_{2012. Available at:}

_{http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageExcise_ShowContent&id=HMCE_CL_000245&propertyType=document}

_{(2) HMRC Newsdesk website, Illicit tobacco and alcohol seized in Somerset, 20/11/15. Available at:}

_{http://www.mynewsdesk.com/uk/hm-revenue-customs-hmrc/pressreleases/illicit-tobacco-and-alcohol-seized-in-somerset-1258172}

Court Orders Counterfeit Seller from Cornwall to Pay £4000 Costs

Posted by admin In Counterfeit Clothing and Merchandise 0 comment

This successful prosecution followed a covert operation by Surelock, working on behalf of TRAP (Trade Mark and Rights Holders Against Piracy) identifying eBay sites and making test purchases of our clients’ counterfeit merchandise, then working with Cornwall Trading Standards to identify the offender and raid the premises.

David Scott trading as Bubble And Bling attended Bodmin Magistrates Court today in the matter relating to the sale of counterfeit clothing via eBay.

Surelock brought the matter to the attention of Cornwall Trading Standards in August 2014 after carrying out a test purchase of a “One Direction” varsity jacket via eBay.

In October 2014, a warrant was executed at a private address in Cornwall following information kindly supplied by eBay’s Global Asset Protection Officer showing that Bubble And Bling’s trading activities, over a two year period, generated a turnover of around £120,000 and that £20,000 related to “One Direction” items alone.

On executing the warrant, further trade mark and copyright protected items were found. These included the following – Scooby Doo Van, The Vamps, Monster Energy, Disney’s Cars, Super Mario Kart, Barbie, 1D, Little Mix, Hello Kitty, Melted Rubik’s Cube and Warner Brothers. There were a small number of additional clothing items already labelled up and ready to be sent to customers.

The investigation led to another trader in Cornwall applying the images to vinyl material to be heat pressed on to clothing at a later date by Mr Scott. This other trader has received a formal caution for his part in this activity. Furthermore, a Home Authority referral was carried out in respect of a business outside of Cornwall supplying Disney copyright protected images to traders in Cornwall without a licence to do so.

Trading via eBay meant Mr Scott had a worldwide customer base and had sold offending items as far reaching as Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore.

As a result of this investigation, Mr Scott received a three year conditional discharge for operating a fraudulent business and for trade mark offences. He was ordered to pay £4000 in costs and a £15 Victim Surcharge. The courts imposed a minimum penalty on account of his early guilty plea and mitigating factors.

All offending items seized have been granted forfeiture and will be destroyed.

Plymouth Herald article: http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Man-sold-20-000-fake-Direction-merchandise-eBay/story-29080865-detail/story.html

Eight Months in Prison for Fake Clothes Racket

Posted by admin In Counterfeit Clothing and Merchandise 0 comment

This successful prosecution followed a covert operation by Surelock, working on behalf of TRAP (Trade Mark and Rights Holders Against Piracy) identifying websites and making test purchases of our clients’ counterfeit merchandise, then working with Central Bedfordshire Trading Standards to identify the offender and raid the premises. All printing equipment, four computers, presses, blanks and paperwork were seized. The main counterfeits being sold were 1D, Kiss, Nirvana, Motorhead, The Beatles, Rolling Stones and Stone Roses.

A man who raked in more than £53,000 from selling counterfeit clothes has been handed an eight-month jail sentence.

Nilupul Hettiarachchige, of Acacia Rd, Bedford, admitted eight charges, including knowingly taking part in running a fraudulent business, after being raided by Central Bedfordshire Council’s Trading Standards team.

Hettiarachchige’s operation ran from November 2012 until October 2014 before the council’s team raided his house and seized items of clothing, printing equipment and computers.

The business included selling fake t-shirts and hoodies on well-known websites, such as Amazon and eBay. Seized garments have been de-branded and sent to charities to be resold or distributed.

Executive Member for Community Services Cllr Brian Spurr said: “This is another superb result for our Trading Standards team who work tirelessly to catch people like this.

“While there may be a temptation in making some quick cash by making and selling counterfeit goods it is against the law and as this case has proven, you could face time in prison for your criminal activities.”

The issue of forfeiture of computer and printing equipment, along with prosecution costs, will be decided in August when there will be a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing.

The council will be seeking to obtain all of the proceeds made from Hettiarachchige’s illegal activity.

http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/news/local/eight-months-in-prison-for-fake-clothes-racket-1-7295076

Be Aware of “Your package has been seized” Scam

Posted by admin In Scams 0 comment

Fraudsters are sending out virus infected emails that claim a package has been seized by HM Revenue & Customs upon arrival into the United Kingdom.

The official looking scam emails claiming to be from Royal Mail contain a link to document which will install malicious software on your computer designed to steal credentials like account names, email addresses and passwords etc.

An example email reads

Title: Your parcel has been seized

Royal Mail is sorry to inform you that a package addressed to you was seized by HM Revenue & Customs upon arrival into the United Kingdom.

A close inspection deemed your items as counterfeit and the manufacturers have been notified. If your items are declared genuine then they will be returned back to you with the appropriate custom charges.

You may have been a victim of counterfeit merchandise and the RM Group UK will notify you on how to get your money back. Please review the attached PDF document for more information.

Document (RM7002137GB).Zip

Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.

The help the spread of the virus, the emails also says: “you will need to have access to a computer to download and open the Zip file”.

If you receive one of these emails, do not click on any links or download any attachments and report it to Action Fraud.

Advice from Royal Mail on scam emails and how they contact you

Royal Mail will never send an email asking for credit card numbers or other personal or confidential information.
Royal Mail will never ask customers to enter information on a page that isn’t part of the Royal Mail website.
Royal Mail will never include attachments unless the email was solicited by customer e.g. customer has contacted Royal Mail with an enquiry or has signed up for updates from Royal Mail.
Royal Mail have also stressed that they do not receive a person’s email address as part of any home shopping experience.

You can now also sign up for free to Action Fraud Alert to receive direct, verified, accurate information about scams and fraud in your area by email, recorded voice and text message.

Surelock Supports Camden Enforcements

Posted by admin In Counterfeit Clothing and Merchandise 0 comment

Surelock representing TRAP and other clients, together with a large number of ACG members assisted officers from Camden Council Trading Standards carry out two days of enforcements in and around the Camden area.

A market, six retail stores and stalls were raided and van loads of counterfeit merchandise were seized.

Surelock will continue to gather intelligence and assist the authorities in Camden as the sale of counterfeits in the area is still commonplace, although significantly improved in recent times.

Louis Vuitton sues Counterfeit Online Sellers in China

Posted by admin In Counterfeit Clothing and Merchandise 0 comment

French luxury goods firm Louis Vuitton is seeking damages from three people convicted of offering counterfeit versions of its clothing, shoes and handbags on Alibaba Group Holding Ltd’s popular Taobao shopping website, a Beijing court said.

A district court in Beijing accepted the lawsuit filed by Louis Vuitton, owned by LVMH, the world’s biggest luxury group, last Monday, according to a statement on the court’s website.

The company is taking the three defendants, two of them surnamed Liang and the other surnamed Han, to court, “asking them to stop infringing on its trademark and is seeking compensation of economic losses of 250,000 yuan ($37,900)”, according to the court statement.

Louis Vuitton could not be reached for comment. It was not possible to reach the three defendants for comment.

The three defendants were selling the goods on Taobao, an online shopping site similar to eBay and Amazon that brings together buyers and sellers, according to the court. Alibaba Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The lawsuit comes three months after a U.S. clothing industry group urged the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to blacklist the Taobao website for persistent intellectual property rights violations despite pledges by the e-commerce firm to curb the problem.

The three defendants were given unspecified criminal sentences in 2014 for selling counterfeit versions of Louis Vuitton goods, the court said.

Source: Reuters

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-luxury-lawsuit-idUSKCN0UO0MZ20160110

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Blog

What is fake alcohol?

Health risks from fake alcohol

How to recognise fake alcohol

What to do if you spot fake alcohol

An example email reads

Advice from Royal Mail on scam emails and how they contact you

You can now also sign up for free to Action Fraud Alert to receive direct, verified, accurate information about scams and fraud in your area by email, recorded voice and text message.

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