BOISE — Twenty-five thousand people could be victims of a multi-million dollar counterfeiting scheme discovered in Boise. KTVB decided to speak with experts about how not to fall victim to counterfeit goods.
Nancy Merritt, a global relationships manager for MarkMonitor, a company that protects corporate brands from internet counterfeiting and fraud, told KTVB that consumers should look at the way a product is packaged and the branding, as well as any obvious problems.
“A lot of times with counterfeits things just don’t line up correctly and then obviously the functionality of it. If it's not holding a charge, if it's not behaving how you'd expect …all of those things would be a red flag,” Merritt said.
The Better Business Bureau said more than $27,000 was reported lost to counterfeit goods in 2017.
“The best thing, the most sure way to avoid buying a counterfeit good is to buy from the source… go to their store, their website and by directly from them,” Victoria Craker, Better Business Bureau’s content and communications director said.
Craker also recommends researching how much a product costs before buying it online.
“If you're not purchasing somewhere along that price. If the deal is too good to be true, if it's really low, that is your biggest red flag,” Craker said.