True cost of counterfeit goods market is hidden from shoppers, says top cop
People are 'locked in rooms with no toilet' making cheap gear
Friday, 25th August 2023 — By Anna Lamche
City of London Police conducted raids in Camden
IN the current economic climate, shoppers are trying to save money – but those who invest in counterfeit goods are helping to fund organised crime networks, a police officer has warned.
Detective Sergeant Andrew Masterson told the New Journal that people are now “knowingly buying counterfeit – and that’s linked to a number of factors, such as economic downturns”.
Speaking about the counterfeit goods market in general, rather than any specific case linked to the raids in Camden last week, he said that the cheap price tag “doesn’t provide a justification for the nefarious crimes linked behind it”.
DS Masterson, who works for the Intellectual Property Crime Unit at City of London Police, said: “I’d argue that the funds from [the sale of counterfeit goods] are going to organised crime networks: they’re going to fund money laundering, tax evasion – and modern-day slavery, prostitution, drug dealing will be linked to it.
“It’s seen as a lesser crime because [you can’t see the] direct impact, you can’t see the person who’s making it. But we’ve been to locations where people are locked in rooms making this product, with nowhere to go to the toilet, with no ability to leave that job – [the counterfeit industry] uses modern-day slavery to make it.
“That’s the impact, that’s the reality. People don’t necessarily want to see it, because then it impacts their choice of buying it.”
Not all football shirts sold in Camden Market are the real McCoy
In addition, often it isn’t immediately obvious that shops selling fake goods are linked to larger criminal networks.
He said: “If you had that criminality [out in the] open, you’d dissuade the tourists from going there, then the shops would suffer.
“So the shops might be self-policing overt criminality because they want the tourists to spend their money in their shops, and [the other crimes are] pushed more into the background, which then makes it harder to engage with the vulnerable people that we’d like to help.”
DS Masterson encouraged people to “go to legitimate stores and buy good quality products that will last at a reasonable price,” warning the desire to buy counterfeit goods is often about “portraying a certain image”.
He added: “Actually it’s funding a much worse thing than just buying a T-shirt with a certain brand on it for a cheaper price than you’d expect.”
