Police seize counterfeit products from house party in Fergus

KITCHENER, ON, Feb. 21, 2012 /CNW/ - On Sunday February 19^th, investigators from the Kitchener RCMP Detachment seized a variety of counterfeit clothing and luxury goods including jewellery, purses, wallets, and sunglasses from a house party in Fergus, Ontario. The seized items bore various unlicensed commercial logos including lululemon, Coach, Gucci, Burberry, Ugg, and Louis Vuitton and were valued at $6,400.

The Kitchener RCMP Detachment would like to remind the public that many clothing retailers and luxury goods makers do not offer their products for sale through house parties, street vendors, or flea markets. In order to protect themselves from purchasing counterfeit products consumers are encouraged to make their purchases from a reputable retailer such as a legitimate retail location or from the brand holder's web site.

The following tips may assist the pubic in determining if a product is counterfeit:

Price: The price is significantly lower than usual and the seller offers to drop the taxes or doesn't provide a receipt
Packaging: The packaging is shoddy in appearance and has spelling errors
Place: The seller is not a reputable retailer.  Use caution when purchasing items through the Internet or from house parties.
Product: The quality and appearance of the product is not satisfactory or appears different than usual.

The RCMP encourages the public to visit their website at www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/fep-pelf/ipr-dpi/index-eng.htm for additional information on counterfeit products.

"Counterfeiting of consumer items and their sales impacts our community through the loss of jobs and tax revenue" said S/Sgt Pierre Gagnon, NCO i/c of Kitchener Detachment. "The RCMP is committed to combating this type of criminal activity through education and enforcement".

Counterfeit goods - whether smuggled into the country or produced in Canada - represent a financial loss to legitimate businesses, governments and taxpayers. As these goods are often cheaply made and not up to Canadian standards, they not only defraud consumers, but may also represent risks to consumer/user safety.

Anyone with information regarding the sale and /or manufacturing of counterfeit merchandise is asked to contact the RCMP at 1-800-387-0020 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-265-4444.

Photos related to this seizure may be viewed by visiting: http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/on/news-nouvelles/index-eng.htm and clicking on the associated news release.

For further information:

Cpl Judith Falbo
RCMP Kitchener Federal Enforcement Section
Office: [phone] ext. 481