Customs arrests 13 people over suspected World Cup fakes

The Customs and Excise Department arrests 13 people on suspicion of selling counterfeit trainers and World Cup jerseys. Four suspects are 18 years old or under. The estimated seized items are valued at about 159 million dollars.

These World Cup jerseys may look authentic from a distance, but they are actually counterfeits. In an eight-week operation targeting suspected fake World Cup-related items, the Customs and Excise Department cracked down on 50 cases and seized 240,000 pieces of goods.

Speaking to the media on Monday, the department says that 12 of the 13 suspects were alleged of selling fake jerseys on the internet, noting that football fever contributed to the demand for the commodity.

Ng Ka-chun, the Divisional Commander of the Intellectual Property Technology Crime Investigation Division, says "The jerseys are mainly printed with famous football stars' names and numbers. So we can see a very clear relationship that there is a real need for the commodity from the public."

Asked what features the public can look out for to avoid buying fake products, the officer offers the following tips: "First, about the price, actually, the prices of these jerseys are mainly around 30-40% of the original price. If you look at them carefully, just look at the badges or the numbers or the edges of the jerseys, you can still find something abnormal. The quality is not that good compared to the genuine ones."

With four of the suspects being 18 or under, Ng says they might have wanted to make a fast buck.

Customs authorities urge parents to take notice of their children's online habits and educate them with correct consumption values.